Gensokyo Grand Battle :: Pool Play Rounds
by PirateKefka
Summary: The stages are set as 48 of Gensokyo's finest compete for the title "Master of Gensokyo". The first test, however, is the Pool Play rounds, where 48 will become 32. Who will sneak into the next round and who will find themselves exiting early?
1. G1R1: Cinderella wears a karate gi?

**NOTES:** And thus the GGB begins! As you will see, the Pool Play rounds will be quick few-paragraph fights. Considering that there will be 120 Pool Play matches, I think the trade-off is fine. At the tail end of the chapter will be Group standings and a quick little analysis over how the polls ended up. As always, find the _**[Gensokyo Grand Battle Main Forum]**_ for voting for the upcoming matchups.

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"Gensokyo is a magnificant land filled with amazing creatures. The beautiful rivers, forests, and mountains house many many powerful beings. As the lands outside learn of its existance, a very peculiar debate came from both the residents here and the outside lands. Who amongst this land is the most powerful being? And that's why we're here today! Kourindou and the Hakurei Shrine bring you the Gensokyo Grand Battle!

Welcome Gensokyo residents and outsiders to the Hakurei Shrine for the first matches of the first ever GGB! My name is Rinnosuke Morichika and joining me here, all the way from the heavens, Celestial being Tenshi Hinanai!"

A new face joined Rinnosuke in the booth wearing a hat with a peach on it, she smiled towards the shopkeeper and then to the camera before starting her introduction.

"Thank you Rinnosuke, we're all exciting for some great matches here just in the Pool Play! Today we have our first three matchups as Group One opens play. In match 1, the Autumn gods, Aki Sisters, face curse goddess Hina Kagiyama. Match 2 houses our first faction battle, as Scarlet Devil Mansion member Ho..Hong Me...why is this crossed out and have 'China' written above it? Well, SDM member China will face Palace of the Earth Spirits member Rin Kaenbyrou in a match of redheaded fury. Our final match of the set today, winter spirit Letty Whiterock takes on the 'other' Gensokyo shrine maiden Sanae Kochiya. Three great fights, some nice hard hitting in there...kinda wish I was in there..."

"Well perhaps there will be another time later, but for now we're ready for the first matchup. Let's go down to the floor for the Aki Sisters against Hina Kagiyama"

Despite the fact that matches are involving two entrants, three fighters are on the Hakurei Shrine grounds. One side of the magic field held the two orange-clad sisters talking to each other discussing strategy. The other side held the curse doll, preparing herself by spinning. The three came to the center of the field and all shook each others hands. A red and white fairy came into the field.

"I'm Lily White and I'll be the announcer of the SPRIIIIIIINGtime of battle-"

The three only looked at Lily with confusion as the fairy continued on.

"I start the match and I'll call when a fighter is down. In the case for you, Aki Sisters, both of your magic auras are linked. When one of you fall, the match will be called, do you understand?"

The two sisters nodded and both gave a quiet "yes".

"Alright, on your marks, get set, GO!" *TWEEEEEEEEET*

Lily dissipated as Hina immediately unleashed a circular barrage of bullets towards the Aki Sisters which was easily avoid with a timed jump. The younger Minoriko dashed forward while Shizuha sent a danmaku stream following her, using Minoriko as a blind. Minoriko sidesteped to allow the danmaku to take Hina by surprise.

"You really thought this would work?" Hina followed Minoriko's sidestep to dodge the danmaku and prepared to engage the charging Minoriko. With a quick spin, Hina sent a light danmaku barrage towards the younger sister, knocking her to the ground. She slowly walked towards Minoriko and began to charge up another danmaku wave. Minoriko only smiled as she stared down the curse goddess. Hina, however, caught the smile and turned around immediately to blast the charging Shizuha to the ground. As the elder sister dropped, a slight lack of feeling was experienced by all in the area. Lily once again appeared in the field with a loud whistle.

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "SHIZUHA AKI'S MAGICAL AURA HAS DISSIPATED! HINA KAGIYAMA IS THE WINNER!"

The crowd applauded the curse goddess as she bowed and left the field to allow the next group to set up.

"And with that our first matchup ends with a victory to the curse goddess Hina Kagiyama! The Aki Sisters' surprise tactics ended up failing them as the sisters end up the first losers in Pool Play. However that doesn't mean the autumnal gods are eliminated, if they can get everything in gear, they can still advance. It's all up to whoever is in the top four in the group after the round robin. So Miss Hinanai, first match under wraps, how did it play out?"

"It played out very quick and simple. Using a double feint style, the Aki Sisters did their best to keep Hina on her toes. However partially thanks to her spinning, Hina is quite adept at keeping an eye on all 360 degrees and caught Shizuha's charging and laid out the big hit to essentially deal out the 1-hit KO."

"Well the grounds are cleared for our next matchup, a much bigger draw with Rin Kaenbyou against the gatekeeper known simply as 'China', back to the Shrine grounds we go."

The two met in the middle as the two shook hands and engaged some quick small talk with Meiling starting it off.

"It's nice to meet some people outside the mansion, I wonder how my skills stack up. I'm...not really much compared to my boss so I hope I do well."

"Well, sis, I'm not going to go easy on ya. Just felt like telling ya that."

"That's exactly what I hoped for."

*TWEEEEEEEET*

Meiling immediately jumped back and entered a defensive position. Orin unleashed a high-powered danmaku shot and scored a direct hit. Unable to celebrate, however, as Meiling shook off the blast and blazed forward and delivered a hard flying punch right into Orin's stomach. The kasha could not react in time to even make an attempt to dodge or block as she gasped for air with Meiling's fist still embedded underneath her ribcage.

Meiling pulled back to set herself back in a fighting position while waiting for Orin to get her bearings straight.

"If you don't strike soon, I'll go again..."

"Wh...what a punch...sis..." Orin slowly regained herself and pulled out the first spell card of the event

_SPELL CARD: ORIN [VENGEFUL CANNIBAL SPIRIT]_

A blaze of circular danmaku surrounded Meiling as Orin smiled. Slowly the danmaku converged on the gatekeeper who was eyeing all over her, looking for an exit to no avail. She could only guard as the danmaku completed the converging and exploded with Meiling at the epicenter. Through the smoke however, once again, a green and red blur emerged from the smoke at a blazing speed on another collision course with the kasha. This time a kick came flying straight into Orin's chest. Orin could only recoil back in pain, allowing her opponent to prepare her finishing blow. In a quick blink, Meiling spun and dealt a flying roundhouse kick right upside Orin's head, sending the kasha to the ground at last. There was nothing Orin could do against Meiling's speed as she stayed motionless on the ground and lost the ability to maintain the protective aura used to ensure safety.

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "Rin's aura has dissipated! The winner is Ch-"

"MEI! LING!" the victor screamed at Lily, almost causing the fairy to swallow her whistle.

"Th-The winner is Meiling!" Applause came as the winner joyously ran up to the woman in the maid outfit spectating while a caped raven burst into the field to pick up the still slow-to-move Orin and escort her out.

"Well the first cross-faction battle ended in an upset win for the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It'll be a very interesting first set for the SDM group, with all members in big first matches. Older sister Remilia will take on ghost princess Yuyuko Saigyouji while younger sister Flandre takes on Lunarian Eirin Yagokoro. The other two members also have rough matchups with Ch-er-Meiling's boss Sakuya against Orin's best friend Utsuho Reiuji and Patchouli Knowledge against mountain goddess Suwako Moriya. It'll be a very interesting first round, and they can all get wins, especially with Meiling's victory today."

"A sweep really is possible for the first round for SDM. The only matchup that the member is not favored is Patchy's bout against Suwako. But if she unleashes some hard...hits..." Tenshi was trying to not to blush at the words, "she can get an upset similar to Meiling's and put all members in a head start for the Knockout round."

"Well we'll have to find out. Well now we're ready for the last match of the set, shrine maiden Sanae Kochiya against winter spirit Letty Whiterock. Can the other favorite avoid the upset? We now take you to the field."

Letty and Sanae silently shook hands and prepared themselves for the whistle.

*TWEEEEEEEEET*

Upon the start, Letty unleashed the first attack. With a snap of her fingers a snow-like fog began to fill the area as danmaku materialized randomly. Sanae only guarded herself to the best of her ability, still taking a few hits as she searched for her opponent through the cold fog. A flash of blue crossed the wind priestess's eye and a star-shaped danmaku came roaring in, dissipating some of the fog and for a split second leaving Letty completely open. Sanae smiled as she watched the winter spirit hastily run from the gap.

"Run if you want, it won't help..." Sanae's cold words soon became the only sign of winter as she unleashed a danmaku blast all around her, eliminating the fog and leaving Letty completely open. "Found you..."

_SPELL CARD: SANAE [YASAKA'S DIVINE WIND]_

The once calm air of the battlefield became extremely choppy and powerful as the winter spirit began to have trouble just holding steady. It quickly went from bad to worse for Letty as when she was keeping herself grounded, she did not notice the massive star-shaped danmaku gushing right for her. The only thing she could do was let herself be blown away by the roaring winds and hope that her path and the danmaku's path would be separate. The second she felt her feet leave the ground, however, it became increasingly obvious that the strategy wasn't in Letty's favor as she found herself flying straight into the barrage. The winter spirit tried to guard herself to no avail. Upon the collision, she was sent skyward before dropping limply to the ground after being carried several meters by the wind.

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "Letty's aura has dissipated! The winner is Sanae!"

Sanae gave a bow to the applauding audience of fairies, lesser youkai, Group Five's fighters, and many more before leaving the arena with a smile on her face.

"The victorious Sanae Kochiya joins Hina Kagiyama and Ch-er-excuse me again-Hong Meiling as winners in this first set of matchups. Of course the big story was the suprising upset of Orin in that it really didn't seem like much of a matchup they she really only went down in three hits, Miss Hinanai."

"They were....big......hits...and all in very rough places, though. The punch to the solar plexus at the start, the kick to the chest after completely brushing off the spellcard attack, and the finishing roundhouse can really take out even the most thick-skinned fighters. Orin will attempt to redeem herself in round two against Letty Whiterock while our potential Cinderella fighter will take on the Aki Sisters."

"Yep, and now we prepare to take our show to the Scarlet Devil Mansion for Round One of Group Two next. Our first card there is our big draw of the set as homefield advantage comes into play as Remilia Scarlet takes on a fellow undead, ghost princess Yuyuko Saigyouji. For Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika signing off. See you at the SDM!"

----

The crowds emptied out of Hakurei Shrine as some local fairies began to clean up and maintain the area for the next time the crowd arrives for Group Five. Two people who hadn't left yet were a cat and a raven.

"Orin..." Utsuho was still acting as a crutch for the winded kasha, who still hadn't spoken since she was dropped in her match, "it'd be stupid to say something like 'I'll avenge you' since you're still obviously alive in both tournament and real-life terms. But in my group, that karate girl's boss is my first opponent. I know you want me to hold back my powers for the early parts, but I think I am going to go all out for this match and then just use what little power I need to wipe the floor with the others."

"O......kuu...." Orin finally broke her silence with a chuckle, "just...watch out...especially if her boss likes to kick chests as well. We don't need to bring attention to your bullseye."

"How did that feel, anyways?"

"I think I've heard some souls refer to something called a 'truck'...for some reason...I feel like that's a good way to call it..."

"Unyu? Truck? Well I guess I'll made Miss Bossy Maidy Lady feel 'truck' as well..."

----

Walking out of the arena portion of the shrine, one of the day's victors was still riding the adrenaline high of her win.

"So didyasee? Didyasee? That first punch was so satisfying!"

"Yes I did, Meiling...but did it really need three shots to take an opponent like her out? And how come you couldn't find out how to escape from that spell card? I found about 6 openings almost immediately."

"Well you can stop time and count...I can't."

"Your reflexes still need working on..."

Meiling could only sigh as she realized that one win alone would not impress Sakuya. They decided to make the long trek to their mansion to watch and cheer on the owner and their mistress.

----

**GROUP ONE STANDINGS**

Hina Kagiyama 1-0

Hong Meiling 1-0

Sanae Kochiya 1-0

Aki Sisters 0-1

Orin 0-1

Letty Whiterock 0-1

**Quick Analysis:** Most of note, the Orin/Meiling poll was not even close. It was by far the biggest blowout of the three. The other two matches started out pretty even before the victor puled very much ahead with around a 3:1 vote ratio by the end. The Orin/Meiling poll was about 9:2.


	2. G2R1: The butterfly and the bat

"Alongside this mist-covered lake lies the Scarlet Devil Mansion, home to some of the most powerful beings in all of Gensokyo. Today thanks to some lucky pulls, it seems like the owner has invited five very powerful fighters to her own home. Will the vampire hold home-field or will Group Two go to a death god, ghost princess, half-ghost gardener, darkness spirit, or Judge of the Dead? Welcome to the second set of matches of the Gensokyo Grand Battle and we have a DOOZY of a first match for you tonight. Miss Hinanai, tell us about the matches"

"Well, Rinnosuke, our first matchup is definitely one of the more anticipated of the first round. Remilia Scarlet, a favorite to go into the Championships takes on ghost princess Yuyuko Saigyouji, who is definitely a tough fighter in her own right, being a Stage 6 class boss alongside Miss Scarlet. Also lurking in the group is another Stage 6 class boss in Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, who is facing the potentially dangerous darkness spirit Rumia. Our final card deals with two blade-wielders that are both in employ with two other fighters in this very group! Youmu Konpaku, a fierce swordswoman and guardian of Yuyuko takes on Komachi Onozuka, death god and top subordinate of Shikieiki. Lots of clashing steel, butterflies, and bats here. Looks amazing."

"Indeed, well I'm sure you're not here to watch us ramble. We now take you to the SDM balcony where the magic field is set and our marquee matchup is ready to go."

With the night sky in the background, the first fighters met in the center of the magic field and gave each other a quick handshake.

"How do you like my place, princess?"

"Well…it's a bit dark for my tastes, in all honesty…"

Remilia chuckled as Lily White entered to start the match.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Sliding a paper fan from both her sleeves into her hands, Yuyuko majestically motioned circularly, leaving several sky blue and bright pink butterflies to form from the trail left behind. Yuyuko could only sigh as she sent them rushing towards the vampire.

"Such a clash of colors…"

Remilia slashed at some and took a few directly, brushing off the blasts and charging in for several physical strikes towards the princess, who was able to sidestep all of them without changing the serene look on her face. Yuyuko found a gap in the attacks and used her paper fan to blast away the attacker, knocking Remilia on her rear. The night sky began to glow pink as Yuyuko stared down her opponent

_SPELL CARD: YUYUKO [REPOSITORY OF HIROKAWA]_

The swarm rushed towards the downed vampire, who could only muster rolls to avoid the divebombing butterflies, leaving craters in the floor. Remilia was not pleased as she could notice the cosmetic difference in her viewing room. With a quick jump and liftoff with her wings, she was able to avoid the last of the butterfly attacks and smiled evilly as she stared down the ghost from the air.

_SPELL CARD: REMILIA [SCARLET RAIN]_

Ruby red rain dropped from the sky as Yuyuko attempted to dodge the downpour. All while keeping her peaceful smile, she looked up towards Remilia, who was preparing to launch her spear. The princess tried to launch an attack, but the red rain knocked the fans out of her hands.

"Oh you clever girl"

Remilia slammed down Gungnir and Yuyuko knew that the advantages were far too much against her. All she could do was continue to smile as the spear made contact, causing an explosion that took up nearly the entire magic field. As the dust cleared, Yuyuko lay on the ground, her smile still on her face.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET* "Yuyuko's aura has dissipated! The winner is Remilia!"

"And the vampire gets the first win of the group! As quite a few of the spectators here are Remilia's own fairy maids, they are very proud of their mistress as she wins the battle of the Stage 6 bosses."

"And now what's interesting is on the losing end of this fight, with Yuyuko now in the hole it becomes very interesting how her gardener Youmu fights tonight, AND with their destined battle in Round Two, could Yuyuko's own servant put the princess in a dangerous 0-2 hole?"

"It will be very interesting especially considering Youmu's reaction during the pulls. She is just as afraid of that fight as anyone could be…"

"On that note, Rinnosuke, how come I didn't get invited to the pulls…or even know about this tournament until I got a random letter a few days ago?"

"W-Well…Miss Hinanai…the mail to Celestia…uh…takes a while and…uh…oh! They're ready for the second match!"

"Don't you run away from the question!"

"Shikieiki Yamaxanadu against Rumia! We now go to the fl—AAH!"

A crash was audible off-screen as the viewing room came into focus. The judge met the spirit's already outstretched hand as Lily entered the field wearing a different outfit. The normal white dress became black as she seemed a bit less enthused about her job.

"Alright you two, no funny business." *TWEEEEEEEET*

As the whistle finished, the entire magic field became encased in a deep darkness. Shikieiki recoiled herself in a defensive position to prepared for the oncoming attack. The judge was not prepared, however, to just get bumped by her opponent.

"Oh…hi there…sorry…didn't mean to run into you. I can't really see in this darkness…"

Shikieiki only gave a quick, irritated "uh huh" as Rumia continued to use the judge as a type of crutch. Using this advantage, she began to charge up a blast.

"I'm trying to find this judge-like girl with a flat chest…"

"Flat?" Shikieiki's charging grew much more intense as she stared down the origin of the voice.

"Yeah, like a wood plank! I have to beat her up. You know where she is?"

"Oh….I know…she's right HERE!" With an uppercut motion, she blasted the darkness spirit in the chest. The darkness dissipated as Rumia dropped to the ground.

*TWEEEEET* "Jeez, you just laid into her…"

"I don't care, call it."

"Oh, the winner is Shikieiki!"

"Well we learned one word we should never say in front in front of this Judge of the Dead, as Shikieiki Yamaxanadu downs Rumia. While we really couldn't see what happened, it did seem like a rather quick dispatch. Speaking of a quick dispatch, Miss Hinanai, you didn't put up much of a fight…"

"Well…I guess it was better to forgive and forget. Didn't feel like making a big deal over it."

"I…guess…well now we are ready for the last match of the night. We take you back to the floor for Komachi Onozuka against Youmu Konpaku. Although I'm still wondering why you were complaining that I wasn't hitting back…"

The focus left the commentators mid-sentence and focused on the death god and swordsman. As the two shook hands, Youmu stared down her opponent, who was apparently yawning.

"Please take this seriously…"

"…hhhuuuhhhh…you sound like my boss…"

"I'd greatly appreciate it."

Komachi sighed, obviously showing disdain for the request, "Fiiiiine…"

*TWEEEEEEEEET* Strangely, Lily had returned to her white outfit when she returned to start the match.

"You asked for it…" Komachi swung her scythe around her body before sending a slash to Youmu, who could barely block the swing with her sword. The force, however, did knock the swordsman onto the ground. Quick to get up, however, she struck Komachi with a quick slash that was blocked by the scythe. The two stared each other down as the death god broke the silence.

"Who are you fighting for? The princess you are destined to fight against?"

The sudden question easily shook up Youmu, which was quickly taken advantage of as Komachi finished the parry and struck down the gardener. She was a little slower to get up this time, and Komachi quickly struck again, dropping Youmu almost as soon as she got up.

"So this is the power of the Hyakugyokurou? The great gardener and royal guard seems to not take much…and seeming how the princess fell earlier…"

"SHUT UP!"

Youmu screamed as she launched herself from the ground towards the reaper, both swords striking direct hits. Komachi only smiled as she eyed the new fiery Youmu.

"Such a prideful warrior, Miss Youmu Konpaku…"

"It's not pride for me, which would be useless egotism…"

"Is it now?"

_SPELL CARD: KOMACHI [MONEY OF YESTERDAY]_

Numerous coins came flying at Youmu, who despite the danger facing her, sheathed her swords and closed her eyes. The swordsman walked forward, ignoring the rapidly approaching coins.

"For Mistress Yuyuko's sake…and my own…we will both advance…"

The coins started to make contact, but Youmu didn't even flinch as she reached for her sheathed blade.

"We, together, will WIN!"

_SPELL CARD: YOUMU [AGELESS OBSESSION]_

It all happened in a blink of an eye, Komachi's coins came to a complete stop and dropped to the ground. The death god smiled as a slight bit of blood oozed from her mouth.

"You are indeed wealthy; two beings have showered you with great prosper. Your princess…is very proud of you."

Komachi dropped her scythe and slowly fell to the ground.

*TWEEEEEET* "Komachi's aura has dissipated! Youmu is the winner!"

"And with that, Group Two's first round is in the books! Both boss/servant combos went 1-1, but it sure didn't seem like that was going to happen until Youmu reached her inner zen. It was a story of night and day."

"It really was, but it is still unknown how she will take her next battle against Yuyuko. Plus the other pair faces off as Shikeiki takes on Komachi. This group is still anyone's group."

"Oh yes, but that'll have to wait as we prepare to go to Eientei for Group Three and our Group of Death. Event host Reimu takes on subconscious manipulator Koishi Komeiji and sister of the Devil, Flandre Scarlet, takes on Lunarian pharmacist Eirin Yagokoro. So for Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika saying congratulations to today's winners and we'll see you at the Eientei!"

--

"Congratulations Mistress Remilia!"

The fairy maids, along with Sakuya, Meiling, and Patchouli, all crowded around the mansion owner in a celebratory manner. Meiling was the most enthusiastic, still riding the wave from her win in Group One.

"Mistress Remilia, thanks to us, we're currently undefeated as a faction!"

"Well I guess that is true, but it's not just us two. Flandre is fighting in the next group…hopefully she doesn't make too much of a mess."

"Reimu is helping keep an eye on her," Sakuya assured her mistress, "plus we have the border goddess in the area as well to keep tabs on her. There is nothing to worry about, I assure it."

"Well I guess that's good…now Sakuya, Patchy, let's keep this undefeated streak going!"

"Of course, Mistress Remilia"

"No problem, Remi."

--

"Mistress Yuyuko? I…I won."

Youmu found her mistress walking alongside the gates of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The normal smile on the princess's face was missing, but Youmu couldn't see. Regardless of the swordman's attempts, Yuyuko continued to keep her face hidden from her gardener.

"Mistress Yuyuko? Are you ok?"

"…"

"What happened? Was it because you lost?"

"…"

"Mistress Yuyuko?"

"Leave."

Youmu felt a shock to her heart, Yuyuko's tone was far more serious than she had ever heard it. Unsure of how to react, Youmu still tried to get a more exact answer.

"I-Is it because our fight is next round? Just don't worry ab-"

"Youmu! Leave! Now!"

"Mistr-"

"YOUMU! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"F…For how long?"

"LEAVE!"

The swordsman's eyes began to well up. With a hard swallow, Youmu could only turn around and run. She had no clue what was happened, but she knew the first thing she was able to do once she got out of her mistress's sight. Youmu dropped to her knees and could no longer stop her tears.

"Mistress Yuyuko……..why?"


	3. G3R1: Shattered Ego

**NOTES:** Finally! Been trying to get on and upload for a good 24 hours. Group Seven voting is up on the forum, you should be able to know where it is by now...

--

"The bamboo forests of Gensokyo. Amongst this maze of shoots, there is magnificent mansion under the name of Eientei that houses a few Lunarians that graciously allowed us to use their home tonight. And tonight we welcome our event host, Reimu Hakurei, and many other strange characters…"

"You're calling Reimu strange?"

"Just a bit, but here we also have a maniac sister, moon rabbit, pharmacist, treasure hunter, and a subconscious-manipulating wanderer here for Group Three of the Gensokyo Grand Battle! The gothic fairy maids of the SDM have been replaced….by bunnies. And they'll be cheering their floppy ears off tonight for one of their own as Reisen Udongein Inaba takes on mousy treasure hunter Nazrin. But that's definitely not the main event tonight, isn't that right, Miss Hinanai?"

"Nope! The Group of Death has some fantastic matches just tonight, Rinnosuke. Our first match has Flandre Scarlet, trying to keep the SDM faction undefeated, against Eientei's first fighter, lunar pharmacist Eirin Yagokoro. Match number two is Reisen against Nazrin in what will still be a great fight. But the big name tonight is our event host, Reimu Hakurei, going up against the very dangerous Koishi Komeiji. Can Reimu's supposed 'plot armor' protect against the crazy uncontrollable psychic powers of Koishi?"

"Some great early questions that will get answered tonight, and right now that question is 'How strong is that Scarlet sister REALLY?' With the elder Remilia winning against the powerful Yuyuko Saigyouji, it'll be interesting how the younger will face Eirin, whose power is comparable to the ghost princess. We now take you to the magical field."

Eirin made her movement towards the middle while her opponent was curiously scoping out the new, strange place that she found herself in. She finally noticed the pharmacist with her hand outstretched for the handshake and looked her up and down.

"Food?"

"N…no…not food…"

"…Play?"

"Uh…sure…"

"YAY!"

Flandre immediately charged towards Eirin, only to quickly be stopped by Lily.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Whoawhoawhoawhoa! Watch it, Miss Scarlet, you have to wait."

"B-But she said 'play'…" Flandre tried to push through Lily as Eirin tried to scope out her easily excitable opponent. Lily was having serious trouble restraining the vampire and Eirin was already preparing for impact, even without the match even starting. Lily could only barely get her whistle back to her mouth before Flandre broke free.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET*

The match officially started as Flandre was already in full charge towards the bracing pharmacist. The initial blow was massive, taking Eirin all the way to the edge of the magic field with a crash. Not even hesitating, Flandre delivered another blow, this time unblockable as Eirin took the shot right in the chest. The vampire pulled back for the first time as Eirin pulled herself together rather quickly.

"C'mon blue-red lady, let's play!"

"Your concept of 'play' is quite…scary…but I guess if that's how you like it…LET'S PLAY!"

Eirin's face finally showed a face of joy as she lay in a barrage of arrows and danmaku and chased down her opponent, who showed nothing but pure ecstacy while dodging the blows before taking an arrow in the shoulder. She looked at her bleeding shoulder and used her finger to pick up a bit of the blood to bring to her mouth. With a quick lick, Flandre's smile turned maniacal and quickly turned the acoustics of the field to match.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!"

The ground began to quake as Eirin struggled to maintain her balance. She tried to steady her bow for another shot but found herself eying down a rapidly charging opponent. Eirin was able to get a clean shot off for naught, as the seemingly sharp arrow ricocheted off Flandre's head to what was seemingly no damage for the receiver. Before Eirin could ready another arrow, she was blasted into the field wall again as Flandre finally made contact with the pharmacist. A bit slower to get up, Eirin tried to quick draw an arrow at her opponent, but despite the near sure shot, Flandre was able to snatch the arrow out of the sky and discard it.

On her last efforts, the pharmacist decided to reach into her own medicine, trying to decipher the pills by touch so that she could keep her eyes on the vampire. She finally flicked one pill into her mouth as Flandre began another charge.

"Come on, Stoneskin pill, don't fail me now!"

Eirin's body began to encase itself in rocks and stone as she once again braced herself for impact. As Flandre struck, the Stoneskin held at first, but as Flandre increased her force to the point that the floor and walls were beginning to warp, the Stoneskin began to crack and eventually gave way. Flandre once again slammed Eirin into the wall of the barrier, and the pharmacist couldn't get up from another hit of that caliber as she hit the ground.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Eirin's aura has dissipated! The winner is Fla—OH GOD!"

Flandre only saw the incoming referee as another playmate as she charged towards Lily. Finally, a savior's arm gapped in and grabbed the vampire by her sidetail and flinging her into the gap that was created. Lily could only grab her own chest to make sure that her heart was still beating.

"Well one thing we know about this group now, we definitely have a troublemaker on our hands. We're gonna need some rough restraints to keep Miss Flandre Scarlet in check."

"I'll say, that amount of power plus the mind of a slightly damaged child—"

"Slightly?"

"What matters is that it equals one very, VERY dangerous fighter who will definitely go far."

"Well the rabbit maids have cleaned up the mess and we are ready for the second match of the night, Reisen Udongein Inaba against Nazrin!"

Inside the field, Reisen was eying the damage created from the previous battle which her teacher. With a bit of worry in her eyes, she went over to her approaching opponent.

"We've got a doozy of a girl we're gonna have to fight…"

"I guess, chu. Makes beating everyone else a lot more important."

Lily finally composed herself and started the match with her usual *TWEEEEEEEEEET*. Immediately, Nazrin charged in with her dousing rods for a few easily deflected swings from the rabbit. The treasure hunter stared down Reisen and was shocked when her rods began to react on their own. She swung at Reisen again, who this time didn't even attempt to block, and the bunny spit out a few golden coins. Nazrin was stunned momentarily before striking again, once again causing Reisen to spit out some more coins. The mouse laughed as she continued to wail on her opponent as more golden coins emerged.

"You're a treasure bounty bunny, chu!" Nazrin was overjoyed as not only was she getting free gold, but her opponent was not even fighting back. She continued to lay in hit after hit, not even caring that she hadn't sent her opponent to the ground yet. The gold glistened in her eyes, perhaps too much as a red glow began to fill her vision.

"Material wealth, it really is a powerful vice…" Reisen watched as Nazrin was only pounding the ground with her rods and not her opponent. With all the free time in the world, she charged up her finger and pointed it at the mouse, ready to end the fight in one blow.

_SPELL CARD: REISEN [MIND EXPLOSION]_

The mouse was blindsided by the giant exploding bullet, rocketing her across the field and finally breaking the hypnotic lock that was caused by the initial gaze from the two combatants. Nazrin tried to get up, but quickly dropped again, only groaning out a weak "my treasure…"

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "Nazrin's aura has dissipated! The winner is Reisen!"

The bunny gave a victory pose towards the fairy rabbits and the still recovering Eirin.

"Well while the first Eientei member ran into a buzzsaw in her first match, the second blazed through her match. In fact, it's the first 1-hit KO so far in this tournament. The other five fighters have to earn every win they get to guarantee their spot in the Knockouts. But then again, that's how the Group of Death works, Miss Hinanai."

"Yep, Lady Luck was not kind to Group Three. The already shown to be dangerous Flandre and also our event host, Miss Reimu Hakurei, are ready to throw down everyone in their path. All the poundings and beatings and crushings and span—"

"Uhhh…..on that note, we're about ready for our last fight of the night! Reimu Hakurei against Koishi Komeiji! Main character against EX boss! We will take you to the floor!"

"—and whippings…"

Reimu stood in front of the wanderer with her hand outstretched for the handshake. Koishi smiled as she shook the hand of her opponent.

"So we meet again, Reimu…"

"We sure do, nice to see you go out and meet people like you said.

"Yeah, and it is nice of you to host this tournament at the expense of the potential ego damage that would come from anything other than a championship…"

Reimu quickly and callously pulled her hand back, not responding to the very thinly veiled jab at her expense. She pulled out her gohei and prepared for the start of the battle.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Immediately, Reimu began unleashing seals with extreme prejudice at Koishi, who swiftly dodged the major blows while taking a few small blasts in compensation. The wanderer retaliated, almost sending a mirror image blast of danmaku at the miko, which was dodged identically as well.

"Did I anger you, Reimu?"

"…no…"

"Trying to hide your emotion is pretty futile as your body language didn't get the message to hide it as well." Koishi smiled as Reimu grew angrier. She knew the buttons to push in an attempt to get the host to run more on emotion than logic. She was able to sidestep a charging Reimu and send a blast while her back was turned, scoring a direct hit and knocking the shrine maiden off balance. She smiled as she lined up a shot.

_SPELL CARD: KOISHI [DANMAKU PARANOIA]_

The large bullets began to expand in a fan shape towards the recovering Reimu, who was doing her best to dodge, approach, and charge up an attack. She weaved in and out like she was used to, almost seeming to brush off each rapidly approaching shot like a small insect.

"Now there's the Reimu I'm expecting!" Koishi smiled as her opponent rapidly approached. Reimu finally found the perfect opportunity and was able to charge in getting at point-blank with Koishi and preparing a seal to shoot out. Koishi gave a very devious grin as she also charged up a barrage. The split-second Reimu started her attack, Koishi immediately responded as the two shots collided with a massive explosion, sending both wielders flying. Both ended up hitting the ground at the exact same time and neither were getting up. Lily rushed in with her whistle in hand.

"YOU BOTH HAVE A 10-COUNT! 1! 2! 3! 4!..."

Koishi still lay motionless while Reimu was showing slight signs of movement.

"5! 6!"

Reimu was doing her best to get up, she was able to get up on her knees, using her gohei as a crutch.

"7! 8! 9!"

In a last ditch effort to get on her feet, Reimu tried to use a quick blast to send skyward, but the only thing it did was take the gohei out of her hands, sending her whole body to the ground again.

"10!" *TWEEEEEEEEEEET* "DOUBLE KNOCKOUT! THIS MATCH IS A DRAW!"

The audience remained silent as Reimu punched the ground and despite not moving at all during the 10-count, Koishi immediately and effortlessly hopped onto her feet. She walked over to the infuriated Reimu and offered her hand, which was immediately slapped away.

"What…the HELL…was that about?"

"It's simple. If you lose, a lot of people will be talking about it. If you pull a draw, EVERYONE will be talking about it. Enjoy…" Koishi gave a dark smile as she walked away. Reimu could only punch the ground and finally unleashed a massive scream of anger and pain.

"Well…um…this is an amazing turn of events. Group Three now just become much MUCH more interesting with this final turn of events. Koishi Komeiji has now established HERSELF as a serious threat, and with a draw, at that! This group is only going to get crazier as Pool Play advances."

"Oh yes, next round we have our only two winners going against each other as Reisen tries to figure out the enigmatic Flandre. Also, Reimu will try to get back on her feet, but it will be difficult with a tough Eirin, trying her best to stay out of a 0-2 hole. But now to prepare for Group Four at Moriya Shrine."

"Oh yes, Group Four will definitely not disappoint either. Kitsune, princesses, fairies, tengu, dolls, and goddesses. Some great fights there as well."

"Well, for Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika saying thank you for watching and see you at Moriya Shrine!"

--

The Scarlet Devil Mansion library was full of fairy maids, cleaning up all the spare books laying about in an attempt to get a clean floor for the Group Six battles. Overseeing the housekeeping was a red-haired, black-winged demon and one of the fighters destined to fight in what was basically her home.

"Well Miss Patchouli, I guess you lucked out with the group pulls. With a group hosted by SDM, you were able to get the library for your battleground. We know this place like the back of our hands."

"It's also nice and quiet for once. That damn blonde is Reimu's problem no—"

Out of nowhere, a red and yellow blur rocketed through the library and crashed into a bookshelf. A resounding "YOU TAKE CARE OF HER! I'll get her when the next round starts." came from all corners of the mansion.

"…that was that Yukari woman…" Patchy could only tap her foot in frustration as Flandre came to and recognized her new location.

"Aww…I'm back home. I found new playmates, too. I wanted to play with them…" the fairy maids came to a sudden stop as they knew what kind of mood the vampire was in. They quickly rushed out of the basement altogether, leaving only Patchouli and Koakuma.

"Uh…Miss Patchouli…"

"Well I'm sorry, Flan. I guess you'll have to play with Koakuma for now."

"MISS PATCHOULI?"

"YAAAAY! Koakuma…let's PLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Flandre charged at the demon, who just stared at the rushing vampire in horror. The two collided and disappeared into the depths of the library.

"MISS PATCHOUUUULLLLIIIIIIIII…."

--

"Eirin…you alright?"

Despite winning, Reisen was not in a celebratory mood, but instead was making sure her teacher quickly recovered from the onslaught of attacks she had to endure. The pharmacist was indeed making a speedy recovery as she reached up and touched the rabbit's cheek.

"Well then, Reisen. I have a fun assignment for you. As you noticed, the red and yellow vampire hits quite hard. In addition, she seems to have a very intense case of bloodlust. You were very good in performing a 1 hit KO today but I don't think anyone can do that to the vampire. Your assignment is to keep winning. Anything other than 2-0 results in discipline."

"Y-Yes!"

--

"I-Is this Koishi's true nature?" Reimu threw herself against the Eientei wall, still trying to comprehend the recent turn of events. A blond woman gapped in and placed her hand on the shrine maiden's head.

"She's right, you know. There are many people here that would kill for even a draw against competition of this caliber. But here you are, sulking and cursing the world because you can't have a perfect perfect record. Your ego does seem to be fragile."

"But I'm the freaking host! It was my freaking idea to have this! Ever since you showed up with that damn computer thing!"

"Well what's worse? The host getting a top seed by going 4-0-1, or the host continuing to pitter patter and getting ELIMINATED in the Pool Play?" Yukari didn't feel like arguing and gapped out of the area as quickly and immediately as she came in. Reimu just stared at the wall where Yukari gapped and sighed before walking off to find someone to at least talk to.

--

**STANDINGS**

Flandre Scarlet 1-0-0

Reisen Udongein Inaba 1-0-0

Reimu Hakurei 0-0-1

Koishi Komeiji 0-0-1

Eirin Yagokoro 0-1-0

Nazrin 0-1-0

--

**ANALYSIS:** First of all, yes yes YES the Reimu/Koishi battle ended with a 15-15 tie. Since this is the Pool Play Round, I believe a draw is perfectly acceptable outcome over a tiebreaker. A draw will basically work as a 1 point measure compared to 2 points for a win and 0 for a loss. If Reimu and Koishi end up tied for 4th...we'll just cross that bridge when we get there.


	4. G4R1: THE STRONGEST

**NOTES:** UFO plus Anime Iowa plus getting ready for classes equals long layover. I could make an attempt to at least have Popeye, Tigergirl, Anti-Marisa, and Flandre II show up sooner or later. Obviously they won't be competing but I might find a spot for them to show up.

Group Eight Round One is now available in the _**[Gensokyo Grand Battle]**_ forum as usual. It's also the last chance to vote on the most anticipated match of the first round with Marisa facing off against Yuuka.

---

"For ages, only the Hakurei Shrine considered Gensokyo its home. However, just recently another shrine arrived on the Youkai Mountain and took residence there. That shrine was the Moriya Shrine, home of two goddesses and a shrine maiden. One of those goddesses is still here while the other two fight elsewhere. She joins a fairy, lunar princess, kitsune, doll, and tengu as Group Four starts up here in the Gensokyo Grand Battle! I'm Rinnosuke Morichika and with me as always is the lovely Celestial Tenshi Hinanai fresh off of an amazing first round in Group Three with our first ever DRAW match."

"Yep, and for one of the two that drew, it was a fate worse than losing. For event host Reimu Hakurei she now has to look up in an attempt to get herself in a top position for the Knockouts. But today she is the least of these fighters' worries as they try to get an upper hand and get on the top half of the standings."

"And our first set today features a fighter with a very bold prediction. Miss Ran Yakumo said during the pulls that all three members of the Yakumo family would reach the Championships. The first step in the way is a fighter looking not at her opponents here, but is fighting to get a chance at her eternal rival. Could that lack of concentration be deadly? We'll get our first hint now, Ran Yakumo against lunar princess Kaguya Houraisan! We now take you to the floor."

Ran was looking down the waterfall on the side of the mountain with a smile on her face. As much as wanted to gaze around, she knew the fight was about to start and turned to the seated princess.

"I've heard tales of you, Eternal Moon Princess. My mistress has brought back many written tales of your exploits from her cross-dimensional trips."

"…I guess it has been that long. Some times I do feel nostalgic for those times. But then again I wasn't with Eirin then…or her…"

"Well let me say it is an honor to be in your presence. However that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

"Same here, fox-girl. Nothing is stopping me from my target."

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Ran was the first to strike, sending blue blazes from the tips of her tails towards Kaguya, who deflected them quickly before blowing on her hand a bit to cool down. She pulled out her jeweled branch and showed it to the kitsune.

"The only fulfilled request…"

"Huh? I thought according to the stories…"

"According to the stories, this was fake, am I correct? It's fun to see how tales can be woven through the tapestry of time. But there was truth in this 'forgery' as well. I did indeed call this a fake to the suitor that procured this…perhaps I was immature back then…"

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Deep down I still wish for people who can fulfill my requests…but as time elapsed I guess I drew tired. Your mention of those works I guess put me in a nostalgic mood. Before Eientei, before Gensokyo, before Eirin, before…her…"

Kaguya looked somber for a second, before quickly realizing that she was still in the heat of battle. Both fighters launched into attacks, Kaguya trying to send dedicated danmaku bullets towards and charging and rolling Ran. Kaguya's attacks deflected off the kitsune, whose rolling grew dangerously close. The princess leaped out of the way, barely clearing the area before Ran charged in. She smiled at the kitsune that started to emerge.

"Well, Miss Fox-Girl, I do have an impossible request for you…SURVIVE!"

_SPELL CARD: KAGUYA [BUDDHA'S STONE BOWL]_

The ground underneath Ran gave way, dropping the fox into a deep bowl-shaped trench in the earth. With a snap of her fingers, Kaguya summoned an army of familiars that covered the trench airtight. The familiars charged up a blasted every square inch of the bowl. Due to the familiars blocking sight, Kaguya was unsure of her attack's success until the ground began to refill, lifting the barely still standing fox back to the same level. Ran limped towards her opponent with a smile on her face, which had blood dripping down it.

"I…think I know which nobleman brought you the jeweled branch…"

"Don't say it…"

"In some of the written works, I noticed a peculiar name and how he reacted to your rejection…and how his daughter felt. I wonder if she knows what you told me…"

"Stop! NOW!"

"Fuj—"

Kaguya immediately blasted the fox down, interrupting what she was saying and officially ending the match.

*TWEEEEEEEET* "Ran's aura has dissipated! The winner is Kaguya!"

Kaguya angrily scoffed at the kitsune before walking out of the field. Ran was helped up by her own shikigami as the two limped out as well.

"The Yakumo House sweep comes to a stop right as it starts as Ran loses her first match. It seems this 'internet' wasn't the first case of our residents being of interest, if what the kitsune said of Kaguya was true. This group is just heating up…or maybe cooling down? Little ice fairy Cirno also provided a boast upon her pull, but will be put to the test immediately against a goddess. Kanako Yasaka is fighting on her own soil and hopes to use this tournament as great launching board for the Moriya Shrine. We'll see how this interesting matchup plays out now, Cirno versus Kanako!"

In the field, Cirno could only look up at her opponent. Not even counting her ropes, Kanako towered over the fairy who when not flying only was as tall as the snake's stomach. She did not seem fearful of the towering woman, but rather gave a devious smile.

"Is this all they're sending me?"

"All? You're a scrawny little fairy that I can step on!"

"I've beaten bigger and badder! You're no match for me!"

*TWEEEEEEET*

Right on the whistle, Kanako immediately started throwing punches. Cirno grazed about as she used her small stature to dodge each blow before latching herself onto the goddess's arm.

"Get off you little pest!" Kanako shook her arm with all her might to get the fairy to unlatch. Cirno kept holding on, however, and her icy aura began to cause the arm to frostbite. With a burst of strength, Kanako tried her best to peel the fairy off and finally Cirno gave way and few to a safe distance as Kanako held her own arm in pain and attempted to warm it back up.

_SPELL CARD: CIRNO [ICICLE FALL]_

"OH YOU STUPID FAIRY, I KNOW THE TRICK! YOU'RE FINISHED!" Kanako rushed towards the fairy as more and more icicles began to drop, striking the rushing goddess occasionally. Kanako didn't waver and continued her charge, tackling Cirno and stopping the attack. However, immediately after the strike, the fairy disappeared.

"Where are you, stupid fairy?" Kanako looked all over the field to find her opponent to no avail. Running across the field, the goddess screamed Cirno's name in an attempt to figure out a way to break the fairy's camouflage. After a few minutes, Kanako finally realized where she was as a cold rush erupted from her back. Reaching behind her, she grabbed the fairy who was latched onto the bottom of her shamisen and launched her as far as she could throw. Before Cirno even hit the ground, Kanako was preparing to launch everything at her. With a slight quake, the goddess used the shrines iron poles and attached them to her back.

"You're dead, fai—"

*KRRRRSSSSSH*

The iron poles shattered into tiny pieces as Kanako's face could only muster a mix of surprise and rage. Her shamisen and back were freezing to the touch and that once the poles came in contact, they became frozen and brittle. Once Kanako attempted to send a danmaku barrage through them, they shattered from the force. While the goddess was trying to figure out how that turn of events transpired, she failed to notice the ice fairy on a collision course. The two collided once again with Cirno clenching onto Kanako's face.

"I! AM! THE STRONGEST!"

The fairy sent a blast of ice right into the goddess, encasing Kanako and dropping her to the ground. As the light showed through the chunk of ice, Kanako's face lost all the rage and was only showing complete shock with a slight hint of sadness.

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "Kanako's aura has dissipated! The winner is Cirno!"

The crowd was mostly silent, except for the two rushing spirits, one a firefly, the other a sparrow. Both grabbed Cirno and started tossing her in the air in a celebratory manner. The ice chunk shattered as Kanako screamed, causing the celebrants to come to a sudden stop. The goddess stared the three down before turning the other cheek and leaving the field.

"Without a doubt, for the first time this tournament, we have a complete and total upset! The tiny ice fairy Cirno has, against all odds, downed a goddess on her own home shrine! Does this give the fairy the inside track to the top seed, Miss Hinanai?"

"It might, Rinnosuke…Ran and Kaguya are still lurking, plus the upseter can still be upset, but this win and her attitude could help push Cirno to deliver more beatings before Pool Play is through and get her a good draw for the Knockouts."

"Well we'll just have to find out as Pool Play continues, but for now the fights continue as wolf tengu Momiji takes on living doll Medicine! To the field for the last match of this Group!"

The two fighters were shyly approaching each other, the wolf tengu finally broke the silence with a quiet "good luck". Medicine only nodded and curtsied.

*TWEEEEEEEEET*

_SPELL CARD: MEDICINE [FIELD OF SUZURAN]_

A light blue gas started to emit from the doll and covered the field. As Momiji unsheathed her sword and started to rush in, her speed started to considerably drop. Eventually coming to a halt, the tengu began to cough and dropped her weapon, also losing track of Medicine. The doll appeared behind Momiji and delivered a kick to the back of the wolf's head, propelling her well out of reach of her sword and deep into the blue gas. Before Momiji could even get up, she got stomped on by her opponent. Clinching on the ground, the tengu could barely muster a few words.

"This…*cough*…is nothing…" Momiji punched the ground and immediately slapped away the again charging doll. Against the increasing resistance of the blue gas, the tengu was able to slowly reach her sword and parried another charge from the doll. She finally used all of her power to slash her opponent, dropping Medicine to the ground and causing the gas to dissipate into the air.

"This is nothing compared to what I've already been through. Aya's teasings, the pictures, everything. You know how many times I've been shown against my will in Bunbunmaru? I want to win! I want to be known by my own power!" Momiji slashed forward, sending a massive shockwave to the downed doll and blasted Medicine into the barrier.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET* "Medicine's aura has dissipated! The winner in Momiji!"

"The soft-spoken tengu finally shows a fire and gets a win! And with that Group Four comes to a close. The Yakumo Family didn't get off to the great start they were hoping for but little ice fairy Cirno found herself celebrating a great first victory. Be sure to catch us for Round Five at the Forest of Magic! Dollmaker Alice Margatroid enters the fray but the highlight for the next set is a second match between the sweep-seeking Scarlet Devil Mansion and the Palace of Earth Spirits. Nuclear raven Utsuho Reiuji takes on the very dangerous maid Sakuya Izayoi! All that and more as the GGB rolls on!"

---

"CirnoBlue! The strongest will always win!"

The victorious Cirno was playing around with her friends Wriggle and Mystia, posing and running around. As they ran around, they paid little attention to the much taller purple-clad woman that they eventually crashed into.

"AAH! Watch out, CirnoBlue! It's the dark witch Hebibaa! But you already defeated her…"

Kanako did not appreciate being called a 'dark witch' or the 'baa' at the end of the name that Wriggle gave her. She grabbed the firefly by the head and lifted her up to eye level.

"And here I was just to congratulate the little fairy…" Kanako set down the firefly down and extended her hand to Cirno, "You better not lose, little fairy, because that would look bad for me…" The fairy smiled and enthusiastically shook the snake goddess's hand.

"Of course I won't, snake lady. I'm the strongest!"

---

**STANDINGS:**

Kaguya Houraisan 1-0

Cirno 1-0

Momiji Inubashiri 1-0

Ran Yakumo 0-1

Kanako Yasaka 0-1

Medicine Melancholy 0-1

**ANALYSIS:** Both Kaguya/Ran and Cirno/Kanako were both very tight and I feared that I'd have to write more draws. Luckily winners emerged. Momiji/Melancholy was pretty one-sided, but not enough to be considered a blowout.


	5. Forgive The Intrusion: MidR1 Edition

**NOTES:** Group Five is in progress right now, I just felt like doing something very dialogue-heavy with a bit of focus on comedy. Plus I absolutely love PTI and wanted to reference it in GGB. And I found some spots for the new UFO girls. Also, if do know PTI, try not to read this in the voices of Wilbon and Kornheiser.

--

"Forgive the intrusion, I'm Byakuren Hijiri. Well the Gensokyo Grand Battle is underway and we weren't invited. What's up with that, Murasa?"

"And I'm ZEE CAPITAN! Yeah, it's like they didn't know we existed when they started…"

"Zee Capitan? What kind of name is that?"

"An awesome name."

"You're crazy, Murasa. Just plain crazy."

--Men's Beer and Dead Parrot Rum proudly presents FORGIVE THE INTRUSION with Byakuren Hijiri and Murasa Minamitsu--

Byakuren and Murasa were seated across from each other in a room decorated with cardboard cutouts of the GGB fighters' faces on sticks. The camera focused on Byakuren as she addressed the TV audience.

"Welcome to the FTI program, boys and girls, today we're discussing the Scarlet Devil Mansion's dominance, potential Cinderella runs, and give our two cents on the second half of Round One. But first, oh Reimu, Reimu, Reimu…

--TOPIC: REIMU--

Reimu Hakurei, the genius behind the GGB, luckily doesn't have the power to cancel the tournament after her embarrassing DRAW in Group Three. Now considering her track record, she should be a Championships favorite, but isn't it a bit crazy to fly off the handle when there's still many more matches to fly."

"It is, Byakuren, but let me give you a few names. Eirin Yagokoro, Reisen Udongein Inaba, FLANDRE! SCARLET! Eirin and possibly Reisen are around the same level of power as Koishi, the fighter who pulled the draw, and Flandre might be an unstoppable train to the Championships. Reimu needed a WIN against Koishi to stay safe in Pool Play."

"Well thanks to the draw, barring any upsets from Nazrin, Reimu really only needs one win against the Lunarians to get the odds in her favor to shake off the Pool Play and begin anew in the Knockouts."

"And don't forget this! Reimu could very very VERY easily be in the loss column. Koishi got right up after the 10-count. She could've easily been faking, going for the draw instead of the win. If Reimu was 0-1 she'd be in deep trouble…"

*DING*

"All you have to do is survive and come in fourth or better…

--TOPIC: SDM--

And a faction that doesn't seem to have to worry about that is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. What started with a sudden upset victory from Hong Meiling turned into two marquee matchups that became blowouts with both Scarlet sisters dominating Yuyuko Saigyouji and Eirin Yagokoro. Another gigantic matchup looms in Group Five with maid Sakuya Izayoi going up against the explosive Utsuho Reiuji. And if Sakuya downs the raven, Patchouli Knowledge will try to go for the sweep against mountain goddess Suwako Moriya. All five SDM members drew powerful foes in the first round and have all so far taken them all down. Does this streak continue?"

"NO!"

"A bold claim, Murasa, who drops?"

"Patchouli is out of her league! Look at that group! Suwako is the least of her worries."

"Yuuka and Marisa?"

"Oh god yes, both of those are easily going to the Championships. Luckily I think Patchy is still reaching the Knockouts, since I still think she can beat Satori and Yuugi…"

"Brains beats brawn in the case of Yuugi?"

"Yeah, but there's still the problem with Patchy and her health. One asthma attack at the wrong time means a loss. While I think the other four members of SDM will get top seeds, Patchy will struggle to get the 4-see--"

"HOLD ON! All the others? Are you saying Meiling beats Sanae?"

"I think so. Meiling is tough, she has great durability and she can take a lot of hits before dropping. I think she goes 5-0 and gets the first pull of the Knockouts."

*DING*

"I still think Sanae has too much power. But for Round One I think the sweep goes through as planned, but only the sisters and Sakuya get top seeds.

--TOPIC: CIRNO--

A funny thing happened to Kanako Yasaka on her way to getting the top seed of Group Four, which is being held in her own shrine. SHE LOST. Kanako is now sitting at 0-1 and is waiting for a chance to redeem herself against Ran Yakumo. Ran also found herself in an 0-1 hole after a tough loss against Kaguya Houraisan. But all eyes are on the little ice fairy Cirno, who was the one who defeated Kanako. Cirno gets wolf tengu Momiji next round. But Murasa, does the little fairy crash the top seed party?"

"Group Four does seem to shape out interestingly, with four fighters who are extremely evenly matched and four spots. Kinda kills the drama, really."

"Well nobody's really looking to be in a dramatic situation in Pool Play. They just want to advance to the fun part of the tournament where they can celebrate intense Knockout round wins. But of course the best way to get a good Knockout round pull is to get a top seed. But does Cirno get one?"

"…no. The fairy's tough but with Ran and Kaguya, I don't think she can beat both of them. And if Kaguya ends up being the one who beats Cirno, that's basically the top seed for the princess. I think it'll be Kaguya, Cirno, Kanako, Ran in that order."

"I have Ran and Kanako switched in order but that's it.

*DING*

Well that's it for headlines but coming up, will the Forest of Magic become a molten crater by the time Utsuho's time ends there? And will the winner of Yuuka/Marisa determine who's got the inside track to the championships? Stay tuned."

---

"It's Toss-up!" Byakuren was the main focus on the camera after the commercials, "For those who are unfamiliar with this, the magic voice gives us a question and two choices. Oh magic voice, give us your inquiry!"

TOSS-UP: WHO WINS GROUP SEVEN? YUKARI OR THE FIELD?

Murasa was the first to get her voice heard, "We really could've let this down a bit, since there's really only three big names in the group, Yukari included."

"Yeah, it's really either Yukari, Mokou, or Aya that'll take that group."

"and until we see the border girl in action, it can only be assumed as the Tournament Favorite that she can win. We'll have a much better grasp on Yukari after she takes on Mokou in Round One and if she does win, that does drop to only one contender in Aya. I think Yukari does take the group."

"Me too, although I still think Aya can make noise and give Yukari a fight. Aya will, forbid the most horrible Knockout draw, get to the second Knockout and might sneak into the Championships. Yukari…anything short of the semifinals is a failure. Next up!"

TOSS-UP: MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN? SAKUYA GOING 5-0 OR UTSUHO TORCHING THE ENTIRE FOREST OF MAGIC?

The two shared a healthy laugh before Byakuren spoke, "Both? Sakuya does have two tough matches, one against Utsuho in Round One and then later a matchup against Alice Margatroid. I'd give Sakuya about an 85% chance of getting through the group unscathed…but Utsuho turning on her jets and turning the forest into a field of embers and flame is almost a certainty. There is no simmer option for her."

"Utsuho scares me in many ways. When I looked at the group sets and locations, I knew there was going to be trouble. In some of the other groups, Utsuho could've gotten a top seed, but Sakuya is too well-balanced to fall to anyone other than Gensokyo's elite. In all honesty, both have a 100% chance of success, NEXT!"

TOSS-UP: WHO WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW? MARISA OR YUUKA?

Murasa quickly hopped in to answer, "Well I will say, sparks will fly--"

"BOOOOOOOO"

"Oh come on, I was shaking all day to use that! But this match is going to be absolutely fantastic, shame that the spell card limit is in effect."

"Well, it's just Pool Play, so they'll maybe just give a teaser and hopefully have the true epic battle in the Championships. Definitely the highlight of Round One and possibly the entire Pool Play stage. I think Marisa has more variety in spells thanks to the limit and can surprise Yuu-"

"No she won't. Byakuren, look me in the eyes and tell me Marisa won't use the Master Spark!"

"……"

"Both of them are going to use their respective Sparks and really the win goes to whoever the wind blows in her favor. But I think with her usual brashness and ferocity, Marisa will pull out the win and also take the top seed in the group."

"Kinda funny how we start off with Reimu strug-a-ling and now we're giving Marisa the free pass to the top. Anyways, time's running short, time for the big finsh!"

An on-screen clock depicting 45 seconds showed up on the screen as a trumpet based fanfare started.

--TOPIC: GROUP EIGHT--

Byakuren started the set, "Finally giving Group Eight a mention, is there really anyone from that group that's worth a damn?"

"Kappapapa! Nitori can raise some hell and I think she has an iron clutch on the group and will probably reach the second Knockout.

--TOPIC: YOUMU/YUYUKO--

Tension in Group Two as eyewitnesses are stating that the once inseparable Youmu Konpaku and Yuyuko Saigyouji have apparently been AVOIDING each other over at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Trouble in the afterlife, Byakuren?"

"Youmu made the news with her 'shot in the stomach' reaction to the Group Two pulls and her match against her mistress is most likely the most anticipated for Round Two. If this persists after the match, then I'd say there's trouble.

--TOPIC: TENSHI--

How are you liking Tenshi Hinanai's commentating so far, Murasa?"

"I liked Yukari's fierce and aggressive passive aggressive…uh…aggressive style compared to Tenshi's 'Oh hi…yeah…here I am…what are you going to do with that whip?' But she's trying, and really the choice of important people in Gensokyo that aren't already fighting is pretty slim."

"Like us.

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

Well that's it for us, catch you at the end of Round One, knuckleheads. For Mur-"

"Zee Capitan!"

"I'm not calling you that. For Murasa Minamitsu, I'm Byakuren Hijiri. Get ready for Group Five!"


	6. G5R1: Power Overload

**NOTES:** This will probably the usual pace of chapters for now thanks to classes. Although this one also struck hard with the "How the hell am I going to choreograph this?" bug for the last two matches. Group One Round Two is up on **_[Gensokyo Grand Battle]_** forum.

---

"The Forest of Magic, home of magicians, mushrooms, youkai, and many other irregularities is our backdrop today. But the calmness of the forest will be crushed as six of Gensokyo's finest get their fights underway in Group Five of the Gensokyo Grand Battle! I'm Rinnosuke Morichika with Tenshi Hinanai as usual. Today we lead off with our main event of the day as Sakuya Izoyoi, one of the fighters favored to reach the Championships, hopes to continue the SDM unbeaten streak by staring down a walking, talking, flying atomic bomb. Utsuho Reiuji is considered to have the best chance of the Palace of Earth Spirits fighters to reach the final eight and for good reason; the raven packs the most firepower of any of the fighters and then some. Match one is the definition of clashing styles as Sakuya's finesse clashes with Utsuho's raw power. However only the fool would look at only these two are important in Group Five, isn't that right, Miss Hinanai?"

"Oh yes, Rinnosuke, fighting on her own home turf is the powerful puppet master Alice Margatroid, who's unique fighting style could overtake both aforementioned entries. Another danger is the very experienced and resourceful Keine Kamishirasawa, who adds "Intelligence" to Sakuya's "Agility" and Utsuho's "Strength". Also not to be forgotten is umbrella spirit Kogasa Tatara and the tandem set of Ichirin Kumoi and Unzan. Six great fighters for one great group, sure to be exhilarating."

"Of course it will be, but here's hoping the Forest can survive the, excuse the pun, fallout from the very first fight. It's our second matchup between SDM and Palace of Earth Spirits, Utsuho against Sakuya!"

In a grassy open space of the forest, the maid approached the center of the field towards the raven, who was avoiding eye contact with her opponent.

"Your chinagirl…"

"Excuse me?"

"She hurt Orin…"

"Miss Reiuji, I cannot be held responsible for what C—Meiling does…"

"I DON'T CARE! Orin and I are going to the Championships! You stupid vampire people aren't gonna stop us!"

"Well I regret to inform you that Meiling, myself, and the other members of our mansion made a pact to reach the Championships as well," Sakuya proceeded to pull a knife from under her uniform, "So don't expect me to go easy on you."

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET*

The temperature in the field immediately rose to a sweat-inducing rate as Utsuho immediately started sending fireballs at Sakuya. The maid sidestepped the fireballs with complete disregard for convection and at first tried to surprise the raven by throwing her knives through the fireballs, but they melted before getting through. Utsuho laughed maniacally as she watched the melted silver drop from the fireballs. "Foolish woman, you can't touch me!"

"Oh really now?"

In a blink of an eye, the two fighters were face to face. Sakuya looked at her opponent with a humored look while Utsuho could only muster a look of shock as she stepped back a bit. With a quick arm movement, Sakuya slashed at the raven, who was able to use her third leg to deflect the knife and counter, pressing the end against the maid's chest.

"Game, maid." Utsuho sent a fireball through her third leg, planning to blast Sakuya away.

"Now where are you aiming?" Sakuya disappeared and reappeared behind the raven's back. She reached into the pockets of her outfit as more and more knives began to fill the field.

_SPELL CARD: SAKUYA [KILLER JACK]_

Knives floated in mid-air, all pointed towards Utsuho. The raven took the air, hoping to lessen the density of knives. Regardless of where she flew, more and more knives populated the area. She tried to unleash some fireballs to melt the weapons, but it seemed like after the fireballs fizzled out, more knives took the melted ones' places. She stared at her opponent, still on the ground, smiling smugly. All the knives rocketed towards Utsuho, who could not do anything to block them all. The stabs and slashes sent black feathers everywhere as the raven dropped to the ground with a thud.

"So much power, so little strength…" Sakuya began picking up the knives that landed on the ground, "You have potential, raven, but you've got a long way to-"

**//CAUTION\\//CAUTION\\//CAUTION\\**

Warning sirens blared from thin air as Sakuya quickly turned to see her opponent standing and holding a black fireball in her hand. Her face was completely covered by hair and blood. Her third leg was making a loud whirring sound.

"THIS…IS…FOR…ORIN!"

_**FINAL WORD: UTSUHO [SUBTERRANIAN SUN]**_

Utsuho shoved the black fireball into her third leg as her body began to be encased by a massive fireball. The grass around her singed and the knives around her began to get pulled into the fireball. Sakuya herself started to find her own body being pulled by the gravitational forces. Trying to dig her feet into the ground, the maid slid towards the sun. She grabbed her pocketwatch and attempted to use her abilities to get out of the pull, but every spot she went to was affected by Utsuho's gravity. She then attempted to hold on the trees of the forest, but as the sun built power, even the trees began to be uprooted and were pulled into the star. The use of her time-stopping was also starting to wear on the maid as each "teleport" made her more and more exhausted. She finally brought herself to the end of the field and dug her feet and ankles into the earth, flinging every single knife she had left into the fireball as each second she came closer to the ever growing star. Finally feeling the heat of the attack, Sakuya dropped to her hands in addition to her dug in ankles, almost in contact with the sun and out of knives.

Finally, what appeared to be a wall of flame shot out at a great velocity, blasting the maid out of the ground and back several yards. As the maid recovered, the sun was gone only leaving a crater and her opponent, barely able to stand. Utsuho finally dropped to her knees as her third leg jettisoned out a large iron pole deep into the ground. The raven began to fall forward, but was quickly grabbed and supported by Sakuya.

"Tell me this, raven…if your friend would've won against Meiling, would you have used that last attack?"

"N…no…"

"Is there a limit to what you would do to protect that friend?"

"N…not at…all…"

"Would you die for her?"

"If…it would…save her…or…make her…happy…"

"Make her happy by dying? How would you feel if she died?"

Utsuho's eyes widened as Sakuya whispered one last thing into her ear before letting go, dropping the raven to the ground.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET* "Utsuho's aura has dissipated! The winner is Sakuya!"

Sakuya walked out of the field slow and tired, obviously strained from her attempts to survive the Subterranian Sun while Rin came into the field with her wheelbarrow to pick up her best friend.

"Well that fight definitely did not fail to disappoint as the Scarlet Devil Mansion survives a big scare from the hell raven. But as the fires go out, SDM is still undefeated and is one win away from getting a Round One sweep. But Miss Hinanai, we saw something right there that we haven't seen before in that last fight."

"Ah yes, the Final Word. To put it simply, it's the 'All or Nothing' bet as a spell card. As we all saw, the Final Word is a very very VERY powerful card, especially in the hands of a power fighter like Utsuho. However, the physical strain can easily break the aura. All I have to say, thank the many powers that be that a certain Yuuka Kazami is not here to see the destruction of all that plantlife."

"Hoo boy, you've got that right, Miss Hinanai. Well the forest isn't very green anymore, but the GGB must go on. Alice Margatroid seems to be a bit of a dark horse shadowed by Utsuho and Sakuya, she finally gets her time to shine now unless Kogasa Tatara has anything to say about it. We now take you back to the field."

Alice was scoping out the charred ground as she approached the center of the field, sighing as she stepped over uprooted trees. Her opponent was already in the center for the handshake. The girl with the umbrella was somberly staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey…Kogasa…look at me…"

"B-But…"

"But what?"

"B-BUT I LOVE YOU, ALICE MARGATROID!"

The crowd gasped in unison, but the dollmaker was not amused. She stared down Kogasa with a look of death, finally the other girl responded with a wink and sticking out her tongue.

"Got ya."

"No you didn't"

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Immediately at the whistle, Kogasa took to the air as a light rain began to fall on the field. Alice began to fling several dolls into the air, but began to show signs of strain as none of the dolls were able to reach their target and dropped to the ground. The rain picked up as Alice was fighting her knees buckling, wondering why her body was having troubles already.

"This rain is a special rain, Miss Margatroid, it carries much more force than a normal raindrop, but maintaining the same impact of a little shower. The second you let me get in the air, you lost."

Alice groaned as Kogasa laughed and increased the speed of the rain, forcing the dollmaker to her knees. Alice quickly threw another batch of dolls into the air, which quickly lost momentum and dropped to the ground again. Kogasa laughed some more until a light chuckle came from Alice. The grounded girl lifted up her arm and fought against the rain's force.

"Hey…umbrella…what impact does that rain have…on invisible strings?"

Kogasa blinked, confused about the question until she felt her leg shake and felt pulled. She quickly looked down to see her ankle with a piece of string wrapped around it and leading all the way down to Alice's outstretched finger. Alice's smile grew sadistic as her arm began to shake.

"Why did you think I threw that last batch of dolls? The dolls were a decoy to get the string to pass through unnoticed. Now I wonder what happens when my arm goes down with this heavy…FORCE!"

Alice threw her arm down, and immediately Kogasa was forced down into the rain, which only increased the umbrella spirit's falling velocity. Finally Kogasa landed with a massive THUD. There was no chance for recovering from a drop of that scale.

"Surprise, umbrella."

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET* "Kogasa's aura has dissipated! The winner is Alice!"

The rain stopped as Alice exited the field stoically and Kogasa was carried off by the fairies.

"Now THAT is how you pull a reversal! Alice's unique style pulls through, even without her dolls being used as an offensive front as per her usual method. It really puts a lot of eyes into the Alice/Sakuya matchup destined to happen."

"Yes, Alice is really good thinking on her feet, while Sakuya can just take as much time as she needs to think up a strategy. It'll be a fantastic chess-type fight which will probably decide the top seed here in Group Five."

"Well the two coming in now still has a bit to say about either of those getting the top seed. Ichirin Kumoi is taking on Keine Kamishirasawa in our last battle of the night. Now to the field…"

The last two fighters entered the wet, charred field. They both looked dismayed at the horrible state that the Forest of Magic was in thanks to Utsuho and Kogasa. They finally silently shook hands and got into fighting stances.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Immediately on the whistle, the field became encased in a pink cloud. A booming male voice echoed through the field.

"FOOLISH TEACHER! BEHOLD THE MIGHT OF THE CLOUDS!"

Gargantuan fists materialized out of the clouds, rushing towards Keine, who was able to sidestep the forces coming at her. The opacity of the clouds caused Keine to struggle in her attempts to find her opponent. The ground shook as the fist clouds punched the dirt, causing the teacher to start to lose her balance. She dropped her rear and could only guard the massive punch that was heading towards her. After connecting, Keine lay motionless as the punch cleared. Ichirin began to dissipate the cloud cover, but stopped as Keine gave out a quiet chuckle.

"My my my…how the time flies. Such a beautiful night sky…"

Somehow while the field was covered in clouds, the sun had set and night had set in. Keine's chuckle became a full-on laugh as the clouds revealed a glowing full moon. Keine hopped onto her feet and started to transform. Ichirin tried to fill the clouds back up in the field, but was quickly stopped by the charging hakutaku. She couldn't dodge the charge, and found herself pinned between Keine's horns. Unzan attempted to help his master pry herself from the trap, but it end up being for naught as the beast slammed into the barrier at full force. Keine pulled away and finally flung her opponent out of her grasp and to the ground.

*TWEEEEEEEET* "Ichirin's aura has dissipated! The winner is Keine!"

With a snap of her fingers, Keine turned the full moon sky back into daytime as Ichirin was lifted out of the field. Finally the field dissipated, restoring the forest to its green, tree-filled state.

"Well now you all know why we establish the magical field, especially with the destructive power of Group Five. Sakuya, Alice, and Keine pull away with wins while Utsuho definitely put in her full power, she still finds herself on the losing end. She'll look to reverse her fortune next round, but we're heading back to the SDM for Group Six and one of the most anticipated matchups of Round One! Yuuka Kazami! Marisa Kirisame! The two Spark masters faceoff next time! For Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika. See you at SDM!"

---

"Four and O! Four and O! Sak-u-ya! Sak! U! Y-WHOA!*crash*" Meiling attempted to send a diving hug towards the mansion's maid, but was quickly thrown down to the ground.

"As much as I appreciate that, it is not time to celebrate yet." Sakuya looked stoically and her hand, which had some light burns from the fight.

"As expected…" a third, familiar voice joined the conversation much to Sakuya and Meiling's surprise. The two bowed to their mistress, who made a surprise entrance to the Forest of Magic.

"Miss Remilia…I was unaware you were here, my apologies."

"Don't worry about it, Sakuya. Besides, how was I going to miss my maid in her big fight. That ending was quite…nostalgic."

Sakuya swallowed a bit, "H…How do you mean, Miss Remilia."

"Well it's quite simple…that little upstart that was left for dead, unleashing everything she had at her opponent. Complete disregard for her own life, all that mattered for her was pride and victory. Also, great sportsmanship at the end. Especially that last phrase you whispered to her."

"Y-You heard?" Sakuya's eyes widened.

"Well...you know my hearing is quite good…" Remilia smiled as she flapped her wings, "But yes, if history does repeat itself…" Remilia gave a scheming look at her servant, "you might've found yourself your own maid."

---

"…We're not doing well, Orin…" Utsuho laid in her best friend's wheelbarrow, looking up at its owner, "We haven't won, Koishi tied, and Satori has some tough fighters in her group."

"…yeah…" the kasha just stared in the same general direction as her friend, contemplating everything and nothing at the same time. "Hey…Okuu…"

"Yeah?"

"This upper world…it's really nice…"

"Yeah…" The two smiled at each other and continued to watch the skies.

---

**STANDINGS**

Sakuya Izayoi 1-0

Alice Margatroid 1-0

Keine Kamishirasawa 1-0

Utsuho Reiuji 0-1

Kogasa Tatara 0-1

Ichirin Kumoi 0-1


	7. G6R1: Spark vs Spark

**NOTES: **That...took far too long. Hell, I cut out a postgame script just because I was ready to be done... Once again, for those that forgot, I'll be getting Group 2 Round 2 set up soon and those will be available in the _**[Gensokyo Grand Battle Main Forum]**_ right here.

--

"Miles upon miles of books line the basement of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The Voile Library holds any information available and those welcome can be granted endless knowledge. Today, however, knowledge gives way to power as the Gensokyo Grand Battle brings its rampage to this humble library. Welcome to Group Six of the GGB, where we've got one of the most anticipated matchups of the round! And not just that, while here in the SDM, the last mansion member goes for the sweep. But even with these main events, the undercard is nothing to scoff at, either. Isn't it, Miss Hinanai?"

"It's a fantastic brain versus brawn matchup in our first match tonight. Satori Komeiji tries to get the Palace of Earth Spirits' first win against oni Yuuji Hoshiguma. With this being the Palace's last shot in the first round and after Orin and Utsuho's tough losses, only Koishi's epic tie against Reimu Hakurei has been a positive for the faction. But if Satori gets the win, the faction can go into Round Two with a much better outlook and much easier opponents."

"Letty Whiterock, Nazrin, Kogasa Tatara. Much easier looking foes than the Meiling/Reimu/Sakuya onslaught from Round One. Well the field is ready and we'll take you down there for the first match of the day. Mind-reader against oni! Satori against Yuuji!"

The two fighters met in the circle, Yuuji with a wide smile and her usual sake cup, Satori her expectant despondent style.

"Heeeeey…cheer up…" Yuuji was spinning her cup on her finger, "Such strength in this group!"

The mind-reader looked at her opponent with dead eyes, "I…really signed up by my sister and pets' request… I don't have that bloodlust or desire to fight. But…my pets were embarrassed in battle earlier this round. To make them happy…" a quick grin came from the usually gloomy girl, "You're going down."

*TWEEEEEEET*

The oni twirled her sake cup up sky high into the air, allowing the use of both her hands. She stomped the ground, causing it to crack as she dashed towards Satori. A strong punch rocketed at the mind-reader's head, who easily sidestepped the blow and wrapped her arm around the outstretched arm of the oni and attempted to flip her over. It was to no avail, however, as Satori could only strain as Yuuji would not even budge. Finally she let go and leaped backwards to avoid a counterattack.

"You're…not strong…"

Yuuji looked sad as her sake cup dropped right into her hand without a drop spilling. With a wave of her free hand, several spirits materialized and fired at the opponent. Satori was able to dodge and sent several danmaku in a cross pattern form, which was similarly dodged. Tossing her sake cup in the air again, Yuuji once again tried a physical charge. Satori smiled and mumbled to herself "feign left punch to right kick". Yuuji didn't hear the mumble and did exactly what Satori predicted, which was easily dodged and finally in the full extent of the kick, the mind-reader locked her arms around the leg and held steady.

"But you're not strong…"

"But I know how your danmaku bounces."

"…I didn't use tha-"

"I know," Satori smiled as the blast she sent earlier ricocheted off the boundary and returned to the center where the two fighters stood, "I did."

Holding steady, Satori held the oni in place as they both got hit. As the dust settled, the two remained standing until the mindreader let go of Yuuji's leg. The oni dropped to the ground with a smile on her face as her cup dropped right into a sprawled out hand, never spilling a drop.

"I guess…you are strong…after all."

*TWEEEEEEEET* "Yuuji's aura has dissipated! The winner is Satori!"

After the whistle, Satori attempted to limp out of the field, but also succumbed to the attack, falling to the ground. The fairies carried both fighters out of the field.

"David upends Goliath as frail Satori pulls off a win against the muscular Yuuji by giving the oni a taste of her own medicine to start off this round. But! I know you don't me to keep you here much longer, so let's get down to the field immediately for our highlight match of the round! Championships Favorite Marisa Kirisame! Fellow Championships Favorite Yuuka Kazami! Master Spark against Master Spark! Who will take in the inside track in the library?"

Marisa and Yuuka met in the center, shaking each other's hands while smiling at each other.

"Do you want to start off with it, ze?"

"Nah…I think the moment will present itself…"

Marisa gave a light chuckle as she gripped her broom and Hakkero. Yuuka flipped her parasol to a set position. They stared each other down, waiting for what seemed like eternity until…

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET*

Immediately Marisa leaped into the air, a long string of vines following her. Hopping on her broom, the magician air-dashed towards her opponent, vines still trailing. A flurry of stars shot from the broom towards Yuuka, who quickly sidestepped and sent another line of vines on a collision course with her opponent.

Noticing the incoming vines and knowing about the trailing ones, Marisa took off straight up with a rocket-like blast. The two vines collided and tangled each other up. Yuuka looked up at the sky-high ordinary magician, who was smiling as she looked down.

"Going down, da ze!"

Marisa clasped onto her broom and began to divebomb towards the flower spirit, shooting stars everywhere. Yuuka stood her ground, waiting for contact with a look of dedication in her face. Through the mess of stars, Marisa charged in, feet away from contact when suddenly in the heat of battle, a large tree sprouted in front of Yuuka and shot up into the ceiling, taking the black-white magician with it. Yuuka looked up as she watched Marisa fall from branch to branch until eventually she hit the ground with a thud, her broom falling nearby afterwards.

"You're not fooling me, Marisa. Get up."

"Heh, damnit…" Marisa smiled as she hopped to her feet and grabbed her broom, "I knew I was too resilient for my own good…"

"Are you asking me to find your breaking point?" Yuuka's face turned devilish as she stared down the magician, who was dusting herself.

"Well, if you can make it that long, ze!" Marisa turned the reply to an offensive as she shot a packet of stars right into Yuuka's face. A lone string of blood dropped from the flower spirit's forehead to her mouth. She licked the blood off her lips and smiled.

"Marisa?"

"Yeah?"

"NOW!"

_SPELL CARD: YUUKA [MASTER SPARK]_

_SPELL CARD: MARISA [MASTER SPARK]_

In the quick draw, Yuuka got her shot off first. Marisa barely completed her incantation in time, connecting with the incoming blast and causing them to stalemate in the crossfire. Neither fighter gave up as they both poured power into the blast. Marisa's Spark began to overtake Yuuka's, moving the crossing point closer and closer to the tip of the parasol. The flower spirit dug her feet and in a last ditch effort, split into two. The separation of power caused Marisa's Spark to overtake Yuuka's at a faster rate, but in the nick of time, the split off Yuuka added a Spark of her own, pushing the crossing point back to the middle. The crossing point grew bigger and bigger as it again reached a stalemate in the center. The books nearby that weren't lucky enough to be blown away were beginning to ignite as the force generated by the crossing point of the three total Sparks nearly matched that of Utsuho's Subterranean Sun the previous round. Finally, just like Utsuho's sun, the crossing point exploded in a blast that rang through the entire field. Both Marisa and Yuuka were rocketed into the field wall in a mess of energy, dust, and paperbacks.

As the smoked cleared, Marisa and Yuuka were both bloodied, but on their feet. Marisa was using her broom as support and Yuuka was doing the same with her parasol.

"So…Yuuka…is this a 'To be continued'?" Marisa was breathing heavily with a smile on her bloody face.

"It might…have to be…and perhaps in…the Championships…you won't…" Yuuka was nearly falling over her parasol support, but still maintained her demonic smile.

"I won't…what?"

From behind Marisa, the split off Yuuka appeared and was poised to attack. Marisa turned her head and with her body exhausted, she could not completely block the rush of vines that the split fired out from the ground. The magician took the blow dead on as she hit the floor. The split and original Yuuka smiled as the two rejoined bodies.

"You won't…forget the double."

*TWEEEEEEEEEET* "Marisa's aura has dissipated! The winner is Yuuka!"

The crowd was mostly stunned silent as Yuuka limped out of the field. The fairies began to carry Marisa out, but she quickly came to and walked out under her own power, obviously disappointed in the recent turn of events but accepting them.

"Two main characters, ZERO victories! Marisa Kirisame falls to Yuuka Kazami in her first match, and what a match it was! This really had another draw written all over it. How crazy would that be, Miss Hinanai? Both main characters getting draws?"

"Well Rinnosuke, I really didn't think the draw was gonna happen. Yuuka had that endgame planned, she was able to place the split in a blind spot during the explosion. Really, although Marisa was doing well, the rules I think bound her into uncomfortable po…si…tions…" Tenshi squirmed in her seat, eyeing Rinnosuke to continue the analysis.

"Well…uh…that is true, Marisa usually does have a multitude of spells to unleash, but the style of fight here in Pool Play coupled with who her opponent is really eliminated a lot of variables and bogged her down."

"Her own style also brought her down," Tenshi recovered and quickly took her analysis back, "as a sudden Stardust Reverie or Milky Way could easily have surprised Yuuka and turned the momentum and possibly the match. But in a move everyone expected, she went with the Spark."

"Well we're sure there will be plenty more arguing and analysis later, but for now we have a set to finish! Patchouli Knowledge is the last member of the SDM to fight and has the chance to pull off an amazing faction sweep. Suwako Moriya is the third and final member of the 1-1 Moriya Shrine to fight and beneath her child-like demeanor and amazing hat is the power of a god. Does the frog end the streak in its very home? We now take you to the field!"

Before entering the field, Patchouli pulled some books from nearby shelves and attempted to bring them inside. The books only bounced off the outer wall as Patchouli looked sadly from the other end. A ribbit from the other end brought the librarian's attention to her upcoming battle.

"Did you want to hit me with those books, gero?"

"No, I have a one registered to hit you with."

"…oh…ge-ge"

"I just felt like needing something to read while beating you…"

"Ohhhhh…you think so?"

"I do, mukyu."

"Mu…kyu!" Suwako's eyes lit up upon hearing Patchouli's tic. "I want a sound as good as that!"

"…what are you in this competition for?"

*TWEEEEEEEET* The whistle ended the small talk abruptly and put the two fighters in their fighting stances, Patchouli lifting her registered book from her robes and Suwako unveiling her iron rings.

"Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, Sun, Moon, Metal…what should I beat you with?" Patchouli thumbed quickly through her book.

"I have some earth right HERE!" Suwako took the opportunity to strike first, slamming her rings into the floor. The ground began to quake and a wave of tile and concrete flowed like water towards the witch. As the wave collapsed, a bubble began to develop in the middle before popping, spreading its force away from its intended target. Patchouli's smile emerged from the mess as she formed a fireball out of her book.

"Perhaps not a good idea to try and hit me with an element I know." The fireball split and she threw it, following the dodging frog. With a powerful hop, Suwako cleared the attacks and wound up a ring for another blow. She threw her ring down to the ground, causing the field to quake. Patchouli did her best to keep her balance, but lost track of her target. Hastily attempting to scope her out, the witch became oblivious to the large stone hands closing in.

_SPELL CARD: SUWAKO [DAIDARABOTCHI'S WORHSIP]_

The hands crashed together on Patchouli as the quake stopped and Suwako dropped back to the ground on her hands and knees. She eyed Lily, who was not reaching for her whistle.

"Oi, I won."

"Patchouli's aura is still active. This match isn't final yet."

"Au au, come o--AU AU! I like that one!"

"You won't like this, mukyu." Patchouli's voice brought Suwako back to reality as the stone hands began to melt.

_SPELL CARD: PATCHOULI [MUDDY UNDINE]_

Patchouli emerged from the muddy pile that remained from the hands and began to charge with a trail of dirt and mud. Suwako used her rings to hurl dirtballs at her opponent, but every ball was quickly and effortlessly added to the trail. In a whip like motion, Patchouli used the trail to strike the frog, taking her to the field wall. Without allowing any recovery time, the trail was rocketed into her against the wall. Suwako dropped to her knees as Patchouli turned the trail into one massive stone boulder and wound up for the knockout pitch.

*koff…koff…KOFFKOFFFKOFFFKOFF!*

In the worst possible time imaginable, the witch's frailty caught up to her. She dropped the boulder and began to cough uncontrollably. The spectators fell silent and most that knew Patchouli knew what was happening. She continued to cough, beating her chest in an attempt to clear her airways. Everyone was so focused on Patchouli that they forgot about one important factor in the fight, who was charging in at a record pace.

"Au AUUU!"

*smack*

The hit could be heard all around the mansion. Suwako took no sympathy to Patchouli's asthma attack and punched the coughing girl right in the face at full strength. Patchouli was sent straight to the ground as gasps were followed by venomous boos.

*TWEEEEET* "Patchouli's aura has dissipated! The winner is Suwako!"

"PATCHY!" The SDM's other fighters rushed into the field to help up their friend as Suwako non-chalantly exited the field and disappeared from sight. None of the fairies went after her, knowing they didn't stand a chance.

"Tomorrow may be sunny for the SDM, but today it most definitely is not. Patchouli Knowledge ends up being the only Mansion member to lose her first round match. But that's not all…that hit…wow…that final hit will be discussed for quite a while."

"More than a while, Rinnosuke. I don't think anyone thought this battle between two petite magicians was going to end with a physical blow. In addition to that, poor Patchouli was in the middle of a coughing fit! If that's not all, it was in HER VERY OWN HOME! This is…wow, Rinnosuke…wow…"

"It'll be hard to top, but be sure to join us in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost for Group 7 next time! Tournament Favorite Yukari Yakumo gets her first shot against the fiery Fujiwara no Mokou! Plus wild card Aya Shameimaru throws her fan in the ring. Who will take the group? For Miss Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika! Be sure to join us next time!"

--

"Patchy…Wake up, Patchy…" Remilia did her best to get her friend to come to while Meiling, Sakuya, Flandre, and Koakuma looked on. The librarian slowly came to, seeing her faction looking on.

"Reby…" Patchouli's nose was still stuffed and bloody from Suwako's punch, "I'b sorry…"

"You don't have to worry, Patchy. It's just one fight and--"

"I'LL KICK HER ASS! Wait, no, her priestess is in my group! I'll kick HER as-"

"Meiling, please…" Sakuya covered up the gatekeeper's mouth as Remilia finally got Patchouli to her feet, providing support. The two went to the nearest table for her to at least sit down.

"Well, Patchy, we can stay if you want or you can be by yourself and look up some frog recipes."

Patchouli giggled and gave off a rare smile before answering, "I dink I'b good by byhelf. Danks…"

The faction smiled at each other before exiting the library. Meiling turned towards the librarian and gave a scheming look.

"I'm still gonna kick that priestess's ass."

--

**STANDINGS**

Satori Komeiji 1-0

Yuuka Kazami 1-0

Suwako Moriya 1-0

Yuuji Hoshiguma 0-1

Marisa Kirisame 0-1

Patchouli Knowledge 0-1

--

**POSTSCRIPT:** Up until mid-writing of the Satori/Yuuji fight, I was planning for Marisa/Yuuka to finish in a draw. I checked the poll one last time to see Yuuka having a 1 vote lead compared to the tie I closed the poll under. And rather than have more than 1 tiebreaker madness to worry about, I gave the winner the win. I have basic choreography set for the Group Seven battles, but I'm fighting against midterms as well. Hopefully the gap will be a lot shorter next time. Plus I'll have the next FTI ready out the gate after Group Eight finishes up.


	8. G7R1: Full Moon Massacre

**NOTES:** This got realized slightly later than I had hoped partially due to apathy. I plan to take a little break after Round 1 finishes up to come up with choreography. Potentially Round Two will be in a new story.

--

"There is nothing better than a full moon to grace us tonight in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. As the shoots reach the stars, six of Gensokyo's finest fighters will battle amongst them. Welcome to Group Seven of the Gensokyo Grand Battle! I'm Rinnosuke Morichika and with me, as always, is the lovely Tenshi Hinanai. Round One is winding down and we've had some spectacular matches so far, isn't that right, Miss Hinanai?"

"Of course, Rinnosuke. We've had upsets of early favorites, the emergence of fighters like Hong Meiling, Reimu Hakurei's stunning draw, and the epic bout between Marisa Kirisame and Yuuka Kazami last set, just to name a few."

"It might be tough to top that last set in Group Six, but when you have fighters like Yukari Yakumo and Aya Shameimaru in your set, you're almost guaranteed to get a show."

"And the blazing immortal, Fujiwara no Mokou, as well."

"And speaking of the white-haired phoenix, she's going up against Tournament Favorite Yukari Yakumo in our opening match! Let the flames and the moonlight light up the field as we take you to it for match one of Group Seven!"

Despite being the dead of night, the spectators could easily see the two illuminated fighters, thanks to the power of the field and the natural moonlight. Yukari approached her opponent with smile on her face and a bounce in her step.

"Miss Mokou, Miss Mokou, Miss Mokou, the everlasting girl. You've probably been punched, kicked, stabbed, shot, mauled, drowned, impaled, decapita-"

"As much as I appreciate the list, 'Oh Great Border Goddess', to put it simply, you're in the way of me reaching my target. Nothing is stopping me from a Finals matchup with her. Nothing has ever stopped me before. Nothing ever will!" Mokou smiled and pounded her fists together as a fiery aura encased her body. Yukari smiled and licked her lips, preparing her parasol into an attack position.

*TWEEEEEEEET*

As the whistle blew, Mokou delivered the first strike, sending a flaming roundhouse kick towards Yukari's head. The only connection it made was against Yukari's parasol, which somehow easily repelled the foot. The surprise stop in force knocked Mokou off balance enough to not catch the minor danmaku blast sent her direction. The phoenix took the blasts easily not showing any signs of pain.

"That's it?"

"Oh I'm just starting, dear." It was at that time that Mokou noticed that the border youkai wasn't wielding her usual parasol, but a steel traffic sign. After twirling it in her hands for a little bit, Yukari struck, swinging the sign against Mokou's side. The clear hit dropped the immortal to the ground, showing slights of pain. Most noticeably, to Yukari's chagrin, was that with only one hit, the traffic sign was already a broken mess as warped sheets of steel dropped off the bent post.

"Well then…" Yukari gapped the sign debris into nothingness and pulled out a large steel bar. Having slight troubles keeping the bar in her hands due to the weight, she failed the notice the bird-shaped blaze rocketing towards her. The bird connected dead-on, knocking Yukari back and forcing her to drop the red hot steel bar as it singed the ground. Despite common sense, the border goddess grabbed the bar from the ground and flung it as quick as she could towards the approaching Mokou. The bar connected, but bent like a wet noodle around the phoenix's body. Mokou grasped the bar and flung it back at Yukari, who was barely able to sidestep it as it cut through the ground.

"You are quite tenacious, Miss Mokou…kufufufu…" Yukari upped the ante, gapping in a full I-beam several yards long. Yukari could barely hold the beam in her hands as she swung it as hard as she could at Mokou's head. For all the force mustered, the border youkai was stunned as the beam was caught and abruptly stopped in Mokou's hand, sending Yukari flying from the inertia into the depths of the bamboo.

"As you alluded to, Yukari, I've learned how to take a hit." Mokou took the I-beam into her hand, cleanly grasping it with no problem. "Let's see if YOU CAN SAY THE SAME THING!" The immortal burned white-hot as she charged to where Yukari was flung, beam swinging in her hand.

_SPELL CARD: YUKARI_ _[AIMLESS JOURNEY TO THE ABANDONED STATION]_

The attacking Mokou did not notice the large gap opening on the side of her. It wasn't until the sound of a train whistle that the immortal girl sensed something was amiss, and by that time it was too late. The gigantic train burst out of the gap at full speed and immediately collided with Mokou. Not long after the initial collision, the still moving train tilted on its side and came to a stop. Yukari and Lily followed the train to the engine, only to find that the first few cars were completely decimated. At the point where the train started to become shrapnel lay an unmoving Mokou on the ground. Yukari only gulped as Lily readied her whistle, since while the train was enough to deliver the final blow, it was just enough.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Mokou's aura has dissipated! The winner is Yukari!"

Yukari strolled out of the field wiping the sweat off her forehead while Mokou's body flared up and the immortal girl got back up and exited on her own accord, kicking a train car in anger. The car skidded across the ground a few feet before coming to a rest.

"It took a HELL of a hit, but Yukari Yakumo was able to emerge from her first bout with a win. And while she did not emerge victorious this time, Fujiwara no Mokou showed her amazing defensive prowess which will prove to be very difficult to overpower. Now Miss Hinanai, who impressed you more?"

"Mokou. Without a shadow of a doubt. I was honestly expecting Yukari to flex her muscles and run away with this fight. Before the final blow, I think Yukari did get really scared as the possibility dropping this match became plausible. The other fighters in this group are now all in for two fights from hell later on in Pool Play when they come face to face with both these fighters."

"Fighters from hell even though neither Rin Kaenbyou nor Utsuho Reiuji are in this group. Well we're all set up for our second match of the round! Our other tandem team put their instruments into the field as the Prismriver Sisters take on Kisume, the bucket girl!"

It was a great disparity in size on the two ends of the field. One side had three girls complete with a set of instruments huddled together in strategy while the other had…a bucket.

"OK, sisters…" Merlin began the meeting, "We're going with Attack Pattern Allegro to start o--

"Merlin…" Lunasa quickly interrupted, "Which is Allegro?"

"It's when we surround her and slowly trap be--"

"Largo."

"Huh?"

"That's Largo, not Allegro."

"No…Largo is when we focus our power on big-impact hits an--"

"Staccato. That's Staccato, Merlin."

"NO IT'S NOT! Just…go with me he--"

*TWEEEEEEEEET*

The whistle blew before the sisters were ready as they quickly scrambled to an attack position, staring down the bucket. As the stare down continued, the anticipation finally got to the keyboardist Lyrica.

"YOU'RE GONNA BE SPLINTERS, BUCKET!" She based forward, playing a quick detached tune on her keyboard, causing note-shaped danmaku to spray all over the field, connecting with and shattering the bucket. "Heh, told y-"

"LYRICA!" The other sisters shouted in unison as they dived to tackle the keyboardist just in time as a large bucket just barely missed the three of them.

"She's up above us…" Lunasa pointed to the sky as she prepared to attack the moon-lit emptiness with her sisters. "Just aim up and hope we can bring her down!"

As the three stared to the moon and fired wildly into the night sky, the single intact earthbound bucket had a head of green hair poke out of it. Kisume watched the three sisters play amelodically to nothing and only smirked as she raised three fingers.

"Sis! I see a bucket!" Lyrica exclaimed.

"Good, good, me too!" Merlin quickly retorted.

"Same here! Shoot them all down!" Murasa issued her victory command.

Kisume lay in her bucket and stretched as she prepared for the show to unfold. The Prismriver Sisters' strategy was sound, but one shouldn't shoot something down when standing right under it. The buckets dropped at a breakneck pace as before the sisters could jump out of the way, they all got nailed atop the head by the same buckets they were shooting down. Kisume just giggled while covering her mouth while an embarrassed Lily made it official.

*TWEEEEEEEEET* "All three Prismrivers' auras have dissipated! The winner is Kisume!"

"Three heads prove not better than one as Kisume pulls off the upset! The miscommunication between the three sisters allowed the bucket to take advantage and put her in the win column. As the field clears up, it becomes an interesting debate as to whether Kisume can sneak into the Knockouts in that fourth spot."

"It's a 50-50 chance, in my opinion, Rinnosuke. With her win over the Prismriver Sisters, Kisume just has to beat fellow cave-dweller Yamame Kurodani and hope for no upsets in regards to the big three in this group."

"Of course, Kisume getting a big upset over Mokou, Yukari, or Aya will greatly help."

"Well that's obvious. Unlikely, but still just barely possible."

"And speaking of the tengu, Aya is getting ready for our final match of the night against the deadly spider Yamame. We're gonna take you to the field now for our main event!"

The field was clear for the two fighters. Yamame was stretching herself out while Aya took a different approach to warm-ups, looking through the viewfinder of her camera.

"Lights…well…obviously need to use a flash. Levels and filters look alright…"

"Now what do you think you're doing, tengu?"

"Well I'm making sure I get a picture of all ten of my finishing blows for when I win the entire tournament. It wouldn't be professional when I run the special victory edition of Bunbunmaru without every single shot."

"A bit overconfident, I see…"

"I'd say…" Aya pushed her camera under her shirt, "I'm just about right."

*TWEEEEEEEEEET*

Aya struck first, dashing forward in a rough blast, causing the bamboo shoots to sway as she immediately connected with Yamame's chest. The spider grabbed ahold of the crow's fist and flipped her over her back. Yamame only smiled as the dazed Aya returned to her feet.

"That your best shot, tengu? Don't quit your day job, even if your paper's crappy too." Yamame quickly struck, surrounding the nearby bamboo in a field of spider webs and with a quick bounce, disappeared into the shoots and darkness. Aya took to the air soon afterwards, a bit more cautious than her usual speed, trying to avoid getting stuck in the webs. A shuffle in the distance caught the tengu's attention as she sent a burst of wind from her fan to the darkness. While waiting for a reaction, she failed to notice Yamame, who crawled up to her from behind.

The spider took a physical approach, tackling Aya's legs and causing the both of them to plummet to the ground with a hard thud. Yamame had the advantage during the drop, positioning herself over the tengu so the majority of the force would crush Aya. As the dust settled on the ground, Yamame's strategy worked as she got up while Aya remained face first in the soil. As the tengu slowly came to, the spider quickly webbed her opponent's feet together, dropping Aya to the ground again.

"Sorry, tengu, your flights have been cancelled." Yamame roped her web to Aya's webbed feet, allowing the spider to use her opponent as a flail. She flung Aya around several times into bamboo shoots which, sadly for the spider, quickly broke before doing any major damage. Finally, she decided to climb up the bamboo with the trapped Aya trailing. As she reached the top of the shoots, she jumped off, planning to hammer throw Aya to the ground. However, when the spider found herself floating only by the web rope, she knew she was in trouble. She looked up to see a smirking Aya, who was playing possum the whole time. The tengu pulled apart the webs around her legs and mimicked letting go, but decided to clutch them in her fist.

"Here's some advice if you want to live. Hang on."

_SPELL CARD: AYA [ILLUSIONARY DOMAIN]_

Aya took off at a blazing speed, with a screaming Yamame trailing, holding on for dear life. The tengu made sure to just barely avoid the bamboo shoots; however the not-in-control spider was not as lucky, colliding into and shattering the shoots. After a hellish several seconds, Aya swapped her momentum, grabbing the web rope and flinging it over her head and towards the ground, Yamame included. In the middle of the perilous fall, Yamame did her best to web herself to the shoots, finally coming to a soft stop in the air. The spider tried to recollect herself before attempting to return to the battle, but an extreme force crushed Yamame's stomach as a blight flash blinded her. The force was too much as the shoots cracked and Yamame landed on the ground with a splat.

*TWEEEEEEEEEET* "Yamame's aura has dissipated! The winner is Aya!"

"HA! Oh man, her face looks like a squashed Yukkuri!" Aya was responsible for the finishing blow, as she dropped from the top of the field and stomped hard, almost causing an indentation from her geta. She also got her first picture, taking it right as she stomped down on Yamame to ensure the most gruesome shot of the spider's pain.

"When a battle between a crow and an earth spider takes to the sky, it's almost a given who the winner will be. Aya Shameimaru's sly tactics put herself in the perfect position without having to do anything. And poor Yamame Kurodani is down and out. It'll be a great fight when Aya and Yukari meet up, won't it, Miss Hinanai?"

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. Especially with Aya's goal of taking pictures of each finishing blow. Imagine a shot of a defeated Mokou or Yukari in the Bunbunmaru, it'd be quite embarrassing."

"You would know, Miss Hin--"

"Shut. Up. I still don't know HOW she was anywhere near me when…that…happened."

"But you're not denying it, Miss Hinanai?"

"…uh…I mean…she altered that photo…I don't even own a ballgag…"

"Well, uh…ANYWAYS! We head to Youkai Mountain for the final group of Round One next! Nitori Kawashiro seems to be the clear favorite, but the kappa will wear a target on her back in what will be the most open group of them all. For Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika, see you at Youkai Mountain!"

--

*knock knock*

Mokou's body was still strained as she reached an old-style mansion in the middle of the bamboo forest. She clutched herself as the door swung open and the immortal was eye-to-eye with a lunar rabbit.

"Oh? Mokou! How nice of you to drop by. Miss Kaguya is over at the Moriya Shrine righ-"

"Good."

"Oh…then why are you here?"

"I just need a place to rest. Had to catch a train today…" Mokou gave Reisen a sly smirk as she allowed herself into Eientei. Quickly upon entering, she ran into the caretaker for her rival.

"Oh, Mokou? Strange of you to drop by. You know I can't heal you any faster than you can yourself."

"I know, I know. I'm just here to rest for a bit."

"OK, I'll have Udonge make you some tea. Just take a seat wherever and relax."

Mokou did exactly that, rounding up some cushions and fashioning a small bed for her to lie down in. Next to her spot however was a small black box that piqued the girl's interest. Mostly of note was the strange light that said "1:35 AM" on it. She stared at it in intently when suddenly…

"_EIRIN! EIRIN! TASUKETE EIRIN!"_

The box blasted a strange song from itself and the numbers were replaced by the word "KAGUYA" as it vibrated wildly, causing a startled Mokou to back off and Eirin to come running in. The pharmacist grabbed the box and flipped it open before placing it against her ear.

"Aah, Miss Kaguya, how are you doing this evening? Oh? They don't have a TV set up at the Moriya Shrine? I figured that'd be the first place the kappas would put i--oh? Well…I could tell you…" Eirin shot a sly look at the confused Mokou, "But how about you hear it, from the source…" Eirin placed the opened box against the phoenix's ear. A very familiar voice rang from it.

"Whoa, Eirin, what do you mean?"

"…huh?"

"MOKOU! IS THAT YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH EIRIN?"

"Uh…I just needed…why are you in this box?"

"What box? I'm at the Moriya Shrine, Yukari gave me and Eirin these 'shell phones' to keep in touch."

"…Yukari, eh…"

"OH! Yeah! You drew her in the first fight, how'd ya do?"

"Uh…about that…I…lost…"

"WHAT? WHAT? YOU LOST? NO FREAKING WAY, MOKOU! ONLY I CAN BEAT YOU!"

"I got hit by a TRAIN, you spoiled brat, and the only reason I couldn't overpower it was because I got blindsided by it."

"NO EXCUSES, MOKOU!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU GET HIT BY A TRAIN!"

"NO PROBLEM, I'LL RIP THAT TRAIN IN HALF BEFORE IT EVEN CAME CLOSE! AND MOKOU…

"Yeah?"

"DON'T! You lose again, you hear me? If you lose out before I get a chance to eliminate you, I'll never forgive you."

Mokou chuckled into the phone, "You keep winning out, Kaguya. It'll make it that much sweeter when I kick your ass all around Gensokyo and eliminate you myself."

"Oh? I'd love to see…you…try…"

*click*

The box went silent as Mokou handed it back to Eirin with a smile on her face.

"Well, Eirin, it was a good idea to come here. I feel a whole lot better now."

"That's good."

--

STANDINGS

Yukari Yakumo 1-0

Kisume 1-0

Aya Shameimaru 1-0

Fujiwara no Mokou 0-1

Prismriver Sisters 0-1

Yamame Kurodani 0-1

**ANALYSIS:** The only surprise to me was Kisume beating the Prismriver Sisters soundly. Not much other than that.


	9. G8R1: Iron Kappa

**NOTES:** I hope to have the next FTI up shortly. New polls will be added with the release of FTI

--

"As the clear water cascades from Moriya Shrine at the peak, a rainbow accents the fall foliage at the base of Youkai Mountain, the home for the final group of the Gensokyo Grand Battle! I'm Rinnosuke Morichika and always with me is the lovely Tenshi Hinanai. Miss Hinanai?"

"Yes, Rinnosuke?"

"Who do you have winning this group?"

"Well, I have the kappa engineer, Nitori Kawashiro, taking this. How about you?"

"Same. But that's not the important question…now who do you have in spots 2 through 4?"

"…I don't know…it's really hard to separate the other five."

"Exactly! This group is the hope-giver. The group where fighters that would normally have no chance against the likes of a Remilia Scarlet or Yukari Yakumo can have their shot at the spotlight and most importantly, a fighting chance at the Knockouts. But still, only four can advance and two will still be eliminated. Wriggle Nightbug, Chen, Parsee Mizuhashi, Tewi Inaba, and Mystia Lorelei are all very alive in this open-ended group. But after these fights, we might have a clue how this will thin out, so let's get started with match one! Wriggle Nightbug wants to nail a first-round upset similar to her friend Cirno as she takes on Nitori Kawashiro! Will the kappa take the driver's seat early or will this group truly be open-ended? We take you to the field."

The kappa and the firefly were mostly silent as they shook hands at the center of the field. They prepared themselves for the whistle without any unusual movements.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET*

"HENSHIN!" Wriggle yelled at the top of her lungs and posed. The only occurrence in the next couple of seconds was a stray gust of wind as a befuddled Nitori stared at her opponent. She grabbed a wrench from her backpack and flung it at the stone-cold firefly, connecting against her face. Wriggle fell to the ground, covering her bloodied face, "Hey! You can't attack during a transformation!"

"What transformation? You just stood there open like a stinking practice target!" Nitori pulled another wrench from her bag and went on the offensive, swinging it like a sword at Wriggle, who could barely parry the blows before attempting to get in a kick of her own.

"A bratty gearhead like you wouldn't understand a great henshin!" Wriggle swung several kicks that were effortless parried until one blow landed at full power against Nitori's overstuffed backpack. Metal debris went flying everywhere as Wriggle pulled back, her foot clearly in pain. The kappa smiled as she removed her backpack and swung it over her head, sending more metal everywhere.

"You want a great henshin, bug? I will show you a henshin so perfectly engineered that you…will…FREAK!"

_SPELL CARD: NITORI [CUCUMBER STARK]_

The key strapped to Nitori's chest began to glow as the various metal scraps around the arena levitated around. Wriggle eyed the glowing kappa and charged in to attempt to disrupt the transformation only to get knocked back by a burst of steam. The steam filled the arena as the metal began to converge on the single glowing light. The firefly backed away, unsure on what was happening.

"What are you trying to be, kappa? A Rider? A Red?"

From the steam emerged a blue-green metallic hand, grasping the bug's throat and pinning her to the ground. Slowly the steam faded and a completely armored Nitori had Wriggle right where she wanted her. With her head completely encased, it was impossible to tell what the kappa was feeling as she flung her opponent across the field. Several hatches opened on the armor as miniature rockets launched out and crashed into the helpless Wriggle. Nitori walked across the field and looked down at the downed firefly and held an open palm to her face.

"I…am…IRON KAPPA!"

A great energy blast shot from Nitori's palm to finish Wriggle off. The armor disintegrated and returned to its original scrap form as the kappa returned them to her backpack, pulling a cucumber to snack on from a side pocket in the process.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Wriggle's aura has dissipated! The winner is Nitori!"

"The kappa's engineering prowess translates perfectly to the battlefield as Nitori cruises to her first win. And with that, she stays our likely chance to get the top seed for Group Eight. But even the greatest of minds can fall to a trickster, and we've got two of them coming up. Tewi Inaba is said to bring good luck to any who catch her…and outlast her tricks, while Mystia Lorelei's singing is said to be beautiful…but dangerous. We take you back down to the field!"

The two met in the center and shook hands, but not before exchanging a few words.

"Don't think you can blind me, sparrow. A healthy supply of carrots gives me super vision. In fact, on a good day, I get X-ray vision on top of it." Tewi smiled as she held a large wooden mallet behind her back.

"Oh? We'll just ha--excuse me. I'll just have to see."

*TWEEEEEEEET*

Mystia took the offensive first, and with a long alto note, the sky began to darken in the field. Tewi countered, swinging the mallet at the sparrow's head. Mystia stopped her note to just barely duck out of the way. The field quickly returned to its lighted state.

"You're at a disadvantage fighting in the light, Mystia. It's a lot harder to blind the field with the sun shining." Tewi followed up her initial strike with an uppercutting shot with the mallet, connecting with Mystia's chest. As the sparrow recoiled, the rabbit clenched her mallet with both hands and proceeded to snort manically. "IT'S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!"

Tewi took a hard offensive, swinging the mallet like a madman at her opponent, who could barely dodge or parry the blows as they appeared to strike at an increasing speed. Finally, the worst type of shot got through as Mystia took a direct hit right in the face. She clinched her bloody nose and in a last ditch effort, kicked the rabbit in the chest and sang an uneven, warbled note. The field flickered as if someone was turning a light switch on and off. Tewi recovered, but found herself struggling against the ever changing light levels. She took a swing at the singing Mystia, but only brought up air. Eventually she lost track of the sparrow, resorting to swinging wildly, hoping she will luck out and connect.

"…huuh…huuh…WHERE ARE YOU, SPARROW?" Tewi's mallet dropped as the rabbit got exhausted from both the mallet's weight and the ocular strain. Eventually the light levels returned to normal, but Mystia was nowhere to be seen.

"How about some more music, bunny?" Mystia's voice came from behind Tewi's back. The rabbit quickly turned around only to have her jaw come in contact with the bottom of a boot. The kick dropped Tewi to the ground for good as Mystia smiled and stepped lightly on her downed opponent.

"Sweet Chin Music"

*TWEEEEEEEET* "Tewi's aura has dissipated! The winner is Mystia!"

"The power of song is devastating as Mystia Lorelei upends Tewi Inaba, dropping Eientei to 2-2 in the first round. That win also helps Mystia with this open group where no win can be guaranteed."

"Which means Tewi is definitely still alive as every fight here in Group Eight is going to be a close one…assuming the kappa isn't involved."

"Well we're still unsure about that, since in addition to this mess of a group already, we have a member of the Yakumo family also to make this place even more a chaotic jumble. Chen is up in the main event today, against bridge princess Parsee Mizuhashi."

"And we are ready for the final match of Round One! We take you to the field!"

The nekomata bouncingly ran to the center of the field as Parsee slowly approached. Chen extended her arm for the handshake but the jealousy-driven fighter only stared her down.

"Why?"

"nyaa~? What's the matter? Main event, facing a member of the soon to Masters of Gensokyo Yakumo Family, you're in the best possible scenario, bridge girl."

"Everyone's probably turned their TV's off by now and it's not like you're Yukari or Ran…"

"Che…" Chen scoffed as pulled her arm back and snapped her fingers, "Then we'll give them a show to keep them watching."

*TWEEEEEEEET*

Chen bounded sky high at the whistle and scoped out Parsee, who remained on the ground. With a "nya!", Chen slashed her claws down, sending a ripple of danmaku to the ground. Parsee quickly leapt out of the way and flew up to meet her opponent face-to-face.

"Those ears…"

"Nya?"

"So nice and furry…mine are pointy and huge. Everyone wants to touch and play with yours…"

"Nya?" Chen looked at her opponent in confusion before reaching up to feel her own ear, "I…I guess it feels nice."

"They see you and think of a cute kitty. They see me," Parsee's eyes sharpened as a green-tinted aura surrounded her, "THEY JUST SEE A BIG FAT ELEPHANT!"

_SPELL CARD: PARSEE [GREEN-EYED JEALOUSY]_

The aura separated from Parsee and homed in on Chen, leaving a trail of explosive danmaku behind it. Chen ran as the aura gave chase. The nekomata attempted to take out the aura with some slashing danmaku bursts to no avail. All she could do at the moment was run for her life and avoid both the aura and the explosive tail.

"You can't run, kitty…the air of jealousy will overpower every soul regardless of its inner strength. Just succumb and lessen the initial suffering. ESCAPE IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

"NO!" Chen looked outside the field and saw the other members of her family, Ran and Yukari, amongst the crowd of fairies. With a smirk, she changed directions and ran directly into the aura, causing it and the long, windy tail to explode magnificently.

"So you decided to take yourself out, wanting at least some credibility. Such a stupid little-"

_SPELL CARD: CHEN [ROLLING BISHAMONTEN]_

A rolling brown and red ball blasted out the dust from the explosion at rocket speed. Parsee could not dodge in time, taking the ball right in the cheek. Before the bridge princess could recover from the recoil, the ball struck again, nailing Parsee in the back of the head, knocking her out of the sky. As she crashed to the ground, the ball made one last contact, slamming into her back and coming to a rest on it. The ball unrolled to reveal a smiling Chen, who took it upon herself to grab the motionless Parsee's ear and whisper into it.

"You forget who my master's master is. To her, and my master, and to me, impossible. Is. NOTHING."

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET* "Parsee's aura has dissipated! The winner is Chen!"

"Chen gets on a roll-"

"Really, Rinnosuke?"

"Yes, Miss Hinanai, Chen gets on a roll and plows her way into the win column! And that's it, ladies and gentlemen, Round One has come to a close! We will be on a small break before we return to Hakurei Shrine to revisit Group One. Will our first darling, Hong Meiling, get another win to set up her Round Three match against Sanae Kochiya? Will Rin Kaenbyou recover from a rough opening match to start Round Two off better for the Palace of Earth Spirits? Will the Aki Sisters even come close to winning a match? Those questions will be answered when the fighting continues, but before that, we have another edition of Forgive the Intrusion to keep you entertained. So for Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika, see you at Hakurei Shrine!"

--

SCARLET DEVIL MANSION (4-1)

In the dining room of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, all five fighters were enjoying a delicious meal and discussing their strategies for the next round.

"You know…" the mistress of the mansion was eyeing a sheet of paper with the list of matchups on it, "I hate to say this and lull anyone into a false state of confidence, but none of these matches seem that bad…except…FLANDRE!"

"Yeah sis?" The younger Scarlet sister was strangely calm save for her teeth embedding themselves in Koakuma's wings.

"Don't underestimate the moon rabbit."

"What does underestimate mean, sis?"

"…I…guess it means not playing as much as you can…"

"But I like playing…"

"Well when that whistle blows and you see that rabbit, play to your heart's content."

"YAY!"

"UNTIL! You hear that whistle again. Then you have to stop playing and let the fairies pick up the bunny's body."

"…why?"

"Because then the bunny can't play anymore."

"…why?"

"Because you've played with it too much."

"…why?"

"Miss Remilia, if I may…" the maid interrupted the looping conversation and dropped to a knee in front of Flandre, "Sometimes, playthings are fragile, Miss Flandre."

"…why?"

Meiling and Patchouli hid giggles under their breaths as Sakuya dropped her head a bit. "Remember when the girl in the red and white came here and beat us all up?"

"Yeah"

"Remember how you felt afterwards? How did you feel?"

"I didn't feel like playing anymore…"

"Well that's how the bunny will feel when that whistle blows a second time. And the white fairy as well. She is not a playtoy."

Flandre looked at the maid with small air of confusion, seeming to understand the business with the rabbit. However when Sakuya brought up Lily, she responded with a delayed "…why?" Neither Meiling nor Patchouli couldn't hold back the laughs that time, but did not go unpunished. Soon after the laughter started, the gatekeeper and the librarian were barely able to get out of the way of incoming knives. Soon the entire dining room became encased with danmaku as the three went at it while Koakuma and the sisters watched.

"It's nice to know," Remilia smiled after sipping from her glass, "that the air of competition is so healthy with them."

--

EIENTEI (2-2)

A strange sight was visible at Eientei as a moon rabbit was blasting away, covering the area in a red glow. Also occasionally audible was Eirin's voice, saying "Pull!" Reisen had been spending her time doing target practice in preparation for her matchup again Flandre Scarlet. A door swung open as a mess of long black hair in pajamas walked towards the pharmacist.

"G'morning Eirin…"

"Miss Kaguya…it's 3 in the afternoon."

"I…" Kaguya gave a long yawn, "had a raid run long."

"…how long?"

"Well we tried for the achievement on Vezax but the mage was being stupid an-"

"Nevermind, Miss Kaguya. Take a seat."

Kaguya sat down in front of the pharmacist as the latter pulled out a hairbrush and began to straighten out the princess's locks.

"How long has Inaba been out here? I remember seeing her out here before raid time last night."

"Udonge? She hasn't stopped. She is hell-bent on that win."

Kaguya chuckled as she looked up at Eirin, "Am I going to have to go through this too?"

"Well…perhaps in the Championships…especially if you get paired up with…Mokou…"

Eirin quickly realized that she was brushing air as Kaguya was pushing in to beat Reisen at hitting the targets. The pharmacist could only giggle as she watched the two fight each other for the targets.

"This competition…is truly fantastic."

--

PALACE OF EARTH SPIRITS (1-2-1)

"Right! Left! Left! Right! Kick!"

Orin was holding a large punching bag as she helped spot for Utsuho, who was attempting to improve her hand-to-hand skills. The two Komeiji sisters only watched, not feeling in the mood to train.

"A draw, huh? Well I'll give it to ya, that Reimu girl does have a ridiculous ego. That was very enjoyable to see her come down like that. But did you have to go all psycho villain on her?"

"I only knocked down the first domino; however they fall is up to her. And uncertainty always makes the show more exciting."

"I…guess I'll have to take your word for it, sis…"

--

"Ugh…"

Hakurei Shrine was a lot more somber than some of the other places in Gensokyo as Reimu had her face down against a table. A slide of the door revealed a bursting in ordinary magician.

"Hey Reimu!"

Reimu turned her head slowly and gave Marisa a weak nod. She grabbed a newspaper from the table and handed it to her friend.

[FUTURE GRAND CHAMPION AYA STARTS OFF STRONG!]

"So? It's just Aya being Aya da ze…"

Reimu pointed to the headline below it.

[REIMU AND MARISA'S FAILURES FOUND HILARIOUS BY ALL]

Marisa rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I know you're better than this, Reimu. Just because this isn't a serious situation doesn't mean some of these fighters aren't treating it like it is. So many people in this tournament have been beaten by us before. They want revenge. We have targets on our backs. It's always harder to beat someone the second time."

Reimu placed her hand over Marisa's with a smiling look back. "I guess that is true…I guess I gotta beat them down again. That way when I become Grand Champion, I can keep all those troublemakers in check."

"Yeah…except I'll be Grand Champion da ze."

--

**STANDINGS**

Nitori Kawashiro 1-0

Mystia Lorelei 1-0

Chen 1-0

Wriggle Nightbug 0-1

Tewi Inaba 0-1

Parsee Mizuhashi 0-1

**ANALYSIS:** Nitori ran away with the win, obliterating Wriggle while the other two matches were much closer.


	10. Forgive The Intrusion: Round One Wrapup

**NOTE: **And with this, Round One is officially COMPLETE! Group Four Round Two voting is now open as I prepare to kick off Round Two.

--

"Forgive the Intrusion, but I'm Byakuren Hijiri. The transcript of Group Seven accidentally called Lunasa Prismriver as Murasa! Are you trying to sneak into the GGB?"

"I'm Murasa Minamitsu, and no, if I was in as a member of the Prismriver Sisters, they would have WON!"

"Strong words from the Captain."

"And what about you, Byakuren? Where do you think you would be if you were in?"

"You'd have to address me as Grand Champion Byakuren Hijiri."

"OHHHH!"

-Men's Beer and Dead Parrot Rum present FORGIVE THE INTRUSION with Byakuren Hijiri and Murasa Minamitsu-

Byakuren and Murasa sat across from each other at the table as the camera centered in on Murasa, "Welcome to the FTI program, boys and girls. Today we're talking upsets, The Punch, next round predictions, but first, can a main character sista get a win?

--TOPIC: MARISA--

After pegging Marisa to not fail as hard as Reimu did in her opener, the ordinary magician proceeded to lose a hard fought match against the Spark Master Yuuka Kazami. However due to many factors, this isn't causing as much clamor as Reimu's draw against Koishi Komeiji. Byakuren, is Marisa's loss really no big deal?"

"It's not a big deal at all. That match between Marisa and Yuuka was basically the driver's seat match for Group Six. I really don't see Suwako or Patchouli being on the same level as those two."

"No hope for Yuuji or Satori?"

"I can think of a few other groups where those two can make an impact…this is not one of them. I was actually pleasantly surprised by Satori's win. Especially strange in that she was the only member of the Palace of Earth Spirits to mark up a win in Round One. Too bad the opposite will most likely happen in Round Two with Orin, Koishi, and Utsuho taking on easier opponents and Satori against Marisa. Marisa is not going to go 0-2."

*ding*

"Not a chance. Marisa is not going to lose to Satori.

--TOPIC: YUKARI/MOKOU--

Now Yukari Yakumo won, like expected from the Tournament Favorite. But she had much more of a fight than she was anticipating. Fujiwara no Mokou took nearly every blow the border youkai had without breaking a sweat. It wasn't until Yukari was able to blindside the immortal to finish the match. And even then, that blindside shot was just barely enough. And said blindside was with a TRAIN. Byakuren, who was more impressive? Yukari in victory, or Mokou in tenacity?

"I really don't know how I'd react to getting hit with a train, I'm sure it's quite unpleasant. In addition, remember what Yukari was nailing Mokou with before the final blow."

"A MASSIVE STEEL I-BEAM! And Mokou not only shrugged it off, but was able to disarm Yukari and basically was able to make the Tournament Favorite retreat in terror. That defensive prowess is DANGEROUS."

*ding*

"The only other big name in the group is Aya, who is big into quick strikes that are weak in itself but just pile on. But if those strikes have no effect of Mokou, it doesn't matter how many strikes you land.

--TOPIC: GROUP TWO--

Cross-faction battles were inevitable in the GGB, but it took a little bit before they started showing up. Now Group Two has two DOOOOOZIES. Komachi Onozuka faces her boss Shikieiki Yamaxanadu, but that pales to seeing Youmu Konpaku turn her blade against Yuyuko Saigyouji, the very woman she was raised to serve under and protect. Added to that mess is that Youmu won her first bout while Yuyuko found herself on the bad end of Remilia Scarlet's spear. Murasa, how HUGE is this?

"Massive. It'll probably be the Second Knockout before we find something with the tension of this ghost matchup. Adding in the difficulty of the group and the current standings, the fact that Youmu would be completely and totally responsible for putting her mistress in a very dangerous 0-2 hole makes this a match nobody in Gensokyo or that other land that reads about our exploits should miss."

"Well in that case, Murasa…who ya got?

"Youmu. When she gets serious, she's unstoppable. On a personal note, to be in a situation to defeat your master would be amazing."

*ding*

"Keep that up and you're looking for a permanent trip to the bottom of the ocean. COMING UP! Heads on sticks and buckets! Buckets everywhere! When FTI returns!"

After the commercial break, the studio's lights were dimmed and a smooth jazz song played through the audio system. The camera turned to Murasa as the table held a pile of paper cutouts similar to those that decorated the stage.

"Welcome to Role Play. If it's your first time, don't worry, we'll be gentle," Murasa grabbed the top cutout and placed it to her face, "OK, Byakuren, who am I?"

"You are Suwako Moriya." The cutout's face was that of the frog goddess.

--TOPIC: PUNCH--

"Suwako, you LAID OUT Patchouli Knowledge to get your victory."

"Thank you."

"Let me rephrase. You LAID OUT a girl that was suffering from a coughing attack due to her frail nature. Do you have any regret for winning in that matter?"

"Not at all, all's fair in love and war. If you forgot, I was on the ropes before the 'pure and perfect' Patchouli was forced to stop WAILING me with rocks because her body couldn't handle all that emotion."

"All's fair, eh?"

"You know who I have to face? Marisa Kirisame and Yuuka Kazami! They'll pull out all the stops, they won't care if I'm suffering from a coughing fit. If I'm coughing and stop my offensive, I'll be on the wrong end of a Master Spark."

*ding*

"Be a monster to beat a monster, eh? OK, Murasa, who am I?" Byakuren grabbed the next cutout.

"You are Nitori Kawashiro.

--TOPIC: NITORI--

To say you beat Wriggle Nightbug is an understatement. You throttled her with a little engineering touch. You're expected to run away with Group Eight, but are you destined for further?"

"I hope so. The difference between Group Eight and my potential opponents in the Knockouts is the difference between Easy and Lunatic. Tewi Inaba is not Utsuho Reiuji in terms of power. I just need to do my business in the Pools and worry about my Knockout opponents when I know who they are."

"If you get Utusho, can you counter her nuclear power?"

"I think I can figure it out."

"A counter?"

"No, how to create nuclear power."

*ding*

"Just what we need, two walking A-bombs in Gensokyo. Alright, next head, who am I?"

"You are Sakuya Izayoi.

--TOPIC: SAKUYA--

"Yukari Yakumo's recoil was more surprising, but it's easy to forget that the elegant and perfect maid was sweating profusely as she gripped herself to the dirt to avoid being nothing but a sunspot from Utsuho Reiuji's dangerous Subterranean Sun attack. Is this another crack in the SDM's armor?"

"Absolutely not. The only other person to worry about in my group is Alice Margatroid. Do you REALLY think I would lose to Kogasa Tatara or the hakutaku?"

"I suppose not."

"The SDM shall reign supreme. The sweep will happen next round, without a doubt."

"A very bold claim, but not unfounded."

"Four SDM members in the Championships, that's the minimum."

*ding*

"Now that's a bit crazier of a claim! LAST HEAD! OK, Murasa, who am I?"

"You are Kisume.

--TOPIC: KISUME--

"Your surprising upset of the Prismriver Sisters gave you the inside track for Group Seven's coveted fourth seed. Of course, you're going up against Tournament Favorite Yukari Yakumo who, unlike before the first round, actually seems vulnerable in the second round. Will the bucket pull off the impossible?"

"Well, first off, impossible is Yukari losing to the Aki Sisters."

"Zing!"

"And second, while I will try my best to get the upset, it will be very, very difficult and it might be better to save my strength and focus on beating Yamame."

"Losing the battle to win the war?"

"To a point. If I see an opportunity, you know I'm going to take it."

*ding*

"Well I'm sure getting into the Knockouts will be a pleasant unexpected surprise."

"Unexpected to you. We're running out of time!" Murasa tossed the paper cut-out of Kisume's head at the camera, missing completely, "Big Finish time!

--TOPIC: GROUP EIGHT--

Mystia downs Tewi and Chen defeated Parsee for a jump start in Group Eight. Who do you have taking seeds 2 through 4?"

"Mystia, Chen, and Tewi. The rabbit did well in defeat and I think she has some wins in her.

--TOPIC: MEILING--

Hong Meiling sets up for a warm-up match before her Round Three match against Sanae Kochiya. Is the gatekeeper up for a fall, Murasa?"

"Who is she facing?"

"The Aki Sisters."

"Well there's your answer. I'm more worried about Sanae against Hina Kagiyama than I am for Meiling against the Aki Sisters times 10.

--TOPIC: UPSETS--

OK, Byakuren, who ya got for the big upset in Round Two?"

"REISEN! UDONGEIN! INABA!"

"No way! You have the lunar rabbit downing FLANDRE SCARLET?"

"I do! You ever see that bunny when she sets her eyes on something? She will cling to your ankles and not let go until she has accomplished her goal."

"A win over Flandre will put Reisen as the frontrunner in Group Three."

"You bet! I have no qualms about Reisen having a top seed.

--TOPIC: 0-2--

Last one, what big name is dropping to 0-2, Murasa?"

"Ran Yakumo. She's facing off against an angry Kanako Yasaka who is also fighting off the dreaded 0-2."

"What about Eirin Yagokoro?"

"That match is a toss-up. On one hand, Eirin fought well against Flandre. On the other, Reimu is…Reimu, with a habit of pulling the most random and destructive spells OUT HER ASS to get a cheap win."

"Yuyuko?"

"Well I said earlier that Youmu was going to win, so yeah…there's two."

*ding*

"That's it, our time is up! Be sure to join us again midway through Round Two."

"Where we'll discuss how wrong Byakuren was after they peel Reisen's body off the floor."

"I think she has a great chance!" The bickering and yelling continued as the cameras fade to black.


	11. G1R2: The Rage of a Fangirl

**NOTE: **After our break, we return to the GGB with Round 2! As usual, the voting for Group 5 is available on the forum.

--

"Fourty-eight fighters have tested the waters of the GGB in twenty-four matches. We had beatdowns and upsets, close calls and Cinderella stories, but that was just the start! That was only one round of five Pool Play Rounds and now they are fighting for the first tickets to the Knockouts! A 2-0 record holds a nigh-locked shot in the next phase, while 0-2 means you're fighting all the way. Welcome back to the Hakurei Shrine, ladies and gentlemen, as we kick off Round Two! I'm Rinnosuke Morichika and with me is the lovely Tenshi Hinanai! This time last round, we had the surprise appearance of Hong Meiling as a force. This came at the expense of Hell's Traffic Accident, Rin Kaenbyou. The kasha will now try to get on her feet as she takes on the winter spirit Letty Whiterock. The fires of Hell against the bite of Winter! We take you to the shrine to kick off Round Two here at the GGB!"

A clash of styles met in the field as the coldly dressed Letty shook hands with the fiery redhead Orin.

"No offense, Miss Whiterock, but do you melt?"

"…no…"

"Well that's good, that way I can carry you off without a bucket."

Letty scoffed as she gripped her trident and pointed it at Orin, "Snow turns into water, enough water can douse ANY fire."

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET*

Orin struck first, sending a trail of flames at Letty, who used her trident to divert the flames to the air. She formed clouds above her as the flames made contact. A light drizzle of rain began to cover the field as Letty struck, thrusting her trident up in an attempt to stab the kasha. Orin grabbed the prongs just in time and lifted herself up to avoid getting skewered. Clenching the metal prongs, she smiled at her opponent as she dropped back to the ground, taking the two prongs she had grasped with her. A few drips of molten metal fell from what remained of Letty's trident as she threw it away.

"And enough heat can melt anything." Immediately Orin delivered an uppercut to the winter spirit's chest. An aura of fire blasted from the kasha's fist, blasting Letty skyward and into the field barrier. She kept on the defensive, waiting for the winter spirit to drop down. The light rain began to intensify as it soon became a downpour, with Letty still lost in the clouds.

"Your own heat will be your downfall, kitty cat!"

_SPELL CARD: LETTY [TABLE TURNING]_

Thanks to the heat from Orin, the usual blizzard from Letty turned into a collapsing ceiling of water. The kasha couldn't dodge as the tidal wave crashed down, the massive pressure taking Orin crashing against the wall. Letty descended back to the ground, eying the wet and curled-up cat.

"Aww…little kitty get all wet?" Letty's tone was strangely sadistic, sensing victory. Clouds formed around the winter spirit as she prepared to finish off her opponent when she suddenly collapsed to her knees. Steam rose from the wading-depth water as Letty started to sweat uncontrollably.

"You forget where I'm from, snow-girl. FEEL THE TRUE FIRES OF HELL!"

_SPELL CARD: RIN [HELL'S BLAZING WHEEL]_

The field erupted in fire and steam as pulsating walls of flame blasted out from Orin, the force slammed Letty into the wall repeatedly as alternating waves of scalding steam and blazing fire crashed into the winter spirit. As the waves subsided, it was obvious that it was too much for Letty as she immediately fell to the ground, motionless.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Letty's aura has dissipated! The winner is Rin!"

"With a fiery blast, Rin Kaenbyou snatches her first victory in the GGB and gets the Palace of Earth Spirits on the right path after their disappointing outing in the first round. What did you think Miss Hinanai?"

"I was pleasantly surprised with Letty Whiterock's efforts, actually. She used the natural convection emitted from a fire-user like Rin to her advantage to attempt to drown the cat's chances of winning. Unfortunately, the natural heat from Rin was overpowering as the fires of hell greatly exceed the boiling point of water, turning the arena into a scalding steam room for which Letty had no escape."

"Well, thanks to that win, the cat is out of the doghouse at 1-1. Now the Aki Sisters hope to also get a win on their belt, but they have a doozy on their hands. Hong Meiling burst onto the scene last round, and is hoping to keep her hot streak going. Can two heads prevail where they couldn't last time? We take you back to the field for our second match of the night."

The field dissipated and reset, allowing the heat and steam to escape between matches. Meiling quietly shook hands with both sisters before setting up in a ready position.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET*

Not even a second after the whistle finished, Meiling connected on a roundhouse kick against the head of the younger Minoriko. Shizuka could barely turn her head in time to watch her sister go flying into the field wall. Without any time to react, Shizuka found her head being pulled down as Meiling connected again, this time with her knee. The older sister jerked backwards and fell onto the ground unmoving.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET* "Y…Ya didn't have to do that to bo--er, the Aki Sisters' auras have dissipated! The winner is Meiling!"

"I…wow…" Rinnosuke was struck speechless at the quick and efficient method used by Meiling to gain her second win, "Hong Meiling, wasting NO time and almost NO effort, just obliterated the Aki Sisters to become the GGB's first 2-0 fighter!"

"It gets that little annoyance out of the way for the suddenly business Meiling." Tenshi quickly enters her opinion on the quick match, "Her next match? Against Sanae Kochiya for what will most likely be the fight for the top seed out of Group One."

"On that note, as the fairies pick up, well, what remains of the Aki Sisters, Sanae Kochiya and Hina Kagiyama are about to face off in our main event. Both are 1-0, both are eying Hong Meiling, both want the top spot, both are up next!"

The final two fighters shook hands in the field and entered a ready position. The shrine maiden muttered a few spells into her gohei.

"How humorous," Hina spoke up, "Misfortune takes on miracles. Two pure opposites."

"Your curses are nothing but minor roadblocks. "Sanae stared at her opponent, "Kanako, Suwako, and I will reach the summit together."

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET*

Rising to her tiptoes, Hina began to spin as a dark wind enveloped the doll. Sharp gusts blasted towards Sanae, who stood her ground. Digging her feet into the ground, the shrine maiden formed a shield of light wind around her person. A small giggle came from Sanae.

"It's like I'm focusing my chi."

"Your chi?"

"Yeah! Like in Dragonball!"

"Drago-what?" Hina was lost, not understanding Sanae's reference to her old world. That soon became the least of the curse doll's worries as she soon found herself losing balance. Sanae's wind gusted in an attempt to catch Hina off-guard. With a few stutter steps, Hina was able to keep off the ground as she spun faster to deflect any further gusts.

"Of course, we're talking about the good stuff. The Pre-Raditz era, back when Son Goku was a kid and participating in fighting tournaments."

"What are y-" Hina's question was cut short as she had to quickly dodge a danmaku blast from the rambling shrine maiden. She sent a spinning blast in retaliation, which was quickly dodged by Sanae, who didn't seem to miss a breath.

"Well, Raditz to Freezer was absolutely fantastic as well, but it felt like a more mature story. It was completely different than the Dragonball at start." Sanae charged and dropped down to sweep the curse doll's legs. Hina dropped to the ground painfully as she continued to roll along the ground. Sanae looked down at her opponent with a hint of malice.

"It should have ended there. Son Goku was the only Super Saiya-jin. Freezer, the ultimate evil, vanquished. But no…it was too popular to end there. Sheishua couldn't let their cash cow end at that moment. Toriyama-sensei was forced to keep going. The plot got convoluted. For some reason these androids built by a minor villain from the past were more powerful than universe's scourge, Freezer." Sanae's face grew mad as star-shaped danmaku formed behind her. Hina was scared motionless as the shrine maiden's speech got angrier and angrier, while the curse doll had no clue why.

"And EVERYONE could go Super Saiya-jin! And different levels of Super Saiya-jin? What kind of crap was that? It diluted the masterpiece! It tainted perfection!" Sanae's face was full of malice as pointed her gohei at Hina, "EVERYTHING! WAS! RUINED!"

_SPELL CARD: SANAE [ESOTERICA]_

The built-up danmaku blasted from behind Sanae on a collision course with Hina, who could only roll along the floor as fast as possible to avoid the cascade of bullets rushing towards her. At the worst possible moment, Hina realized that she couldn't roll any farther as she had hit the wall of the field. The falling bullets caught up as Hina could do nothing to guard herself. The blast was more than enough as the smoke cleared, a motionless Hina lay crumpled against the barrier. Sanae shook her head as if she fell out of a trance.

"Oh…I fell into fangirling, so sorry!"

*TWEEEEEEEEEEET* "Hina's aura has dissipated! The winner is Sanae!"

Sanae bowed towards the crumpled Hina before leaving the field as the fairies rolled the winter spirit away.

"Never mess with an angry fan. Sanae Kochiya's innocent talk about her favorite comic suddenly turned malicious and Hina Kagiyama was the unfortunate soul on the receiving end. More importantly, we are set next round for a fantastic battle between our first two 2-0 fighters. Hong Meiling and Sanae Kochiya will face off in Round Three for the first GUARANTEED Knockout berth. However, we must head to the SDM as allegiances are put to the test. Shikieiki Yamaxanadu hasn't always been fond of her worker Komachi Onozuka and now she might be able to truly tell the shinigami how she truly feels. Of course, everyone will be tuning in for Yuyuko Saigyouji taking on her gardener Youmu Konpaku. Both fighters are considered immensely powerful, but the pure, unwavering loyalty of Youmu gives thick layers of drama. Can the swordsman turn her blade against the princess she swore allegiance to? For Tenshi Hinanai, this is Rinnosuke Morichika, see you at SDM!"

--

"Is this the longest time you've been apart?"

"No, I've sent her on long missions before. Most I can think of was a month for a training sabbatical."

A ghost and a vampire were enjoying a spot of tea as they watched the night sky from the very viewing room in the Scarlet Devil Mansion where they fought each other in Round 1. Yuyuko and Remilia were both having rare moments without their main servants, one off away in another group, the other forcibly removed by her mistress.

"It'll be interesting how she'll see me when we enter the field. Remilia, have you been in a serious fight with your maid?"

Remilia giggled as she sipped her tea, "It was how we first met. I think that's what separates Sakuya from your gardener. She came to me with the intent to kill; Miss Youmu came to you with the intent to protect."

"And as you taught your maid humility, I…or rather Youki, taught Youmu the blade."

"And you mentioned that her teacher is no longer with us?"

"Of a sort, he has disappeared to an unknown location. It was…not a good time for Youmu and me. I'm sure you've never seen Sakuya cry."

"Not really. Perhaps our first meeting she was fighting tears back after her defeat was inevitable. Her emotions were an absolute mess those couple of minutes. She was entirely willing to end her life if she couldn't end mine."

"From what I've seen of Sakuya, it's extremely strange to visualize her in any sort of emotional flux."

"It is. That was still the only time I've seen her like that. She is mostly one of two emotions: stoic and murderous. Mostly towards Meiling."

The ghost gave an elegant laugh before turning her attention to the night sky. "Youmu…you started as the offspring and student of Youki. Then you became my servant. Tomorrow, I get to see the Youmu Konpaku that she wants herself to be."

--

In the gardens of the SDM, the moonlight shone off the katana of a gardener, training alone and for the first time in her life, for herself. A second reflection began to shine, this time from a scythe.

"Aaah, the ever diligent swordsman…" Komachi smirked in the darkness as she watched Youmu continue silently through her motions. With a groan, the reaper once again tried to start a conversation with the gardener, "I'm facing my boss, too. It's a really awkward feeling. The concept of turning your blade on the person that has issued you orders for years is both frightening and relieving."

"Leave."

Youmu finally spoke, but not a word that Komachi wanted to hear. She picked up her scythe to keep it on hand in case tension escalated.

"How come? Am I disrupting your training?"

"How can you find it 'relieving' to strike your mistress?"

"Ugh, Shikieiki is not my mistress." Komachi visualized in her head a bit before shaking it in disgust. "But she always sends me on these crappy jobs and then punishes me for the littlest things-"

"Then don't do those 'littest things'."

Komachi sighed as she continued to tempt fate, "It's just…something I've been wanting to do for a while. Shikieiki and I…don't see eye to eye often. Figuratively and literally-"

"Do you think this is an ideal time for jokes?"

"It's just…I don't know. During our fight, after you won, I didn't see you smile once. I even smiled after seeing your wealth and I lost. You don't have to be all serious, I'm sure your mistress feels the same way. Regardless of what the miko says, this is not serious business. It's all for fun and bragging rights. So lighten up, hell, take it easy."

Youmu peeked over to Komachi for a few seconds before returning to her swings, "To prove I can protect my Mistress from any threat, I plan to win."

"Even if you have to cut through her to do it?"

The gardener sighed, her sword lowered, "Then so be it. Now please leave me be."

Komachi turned and left Youmu to her practice. The swordsman watched the reaper disappear into the night, sighed once again, and placed her sword on the ground. She dropped to her seat, placing her forehead against her knees.

"Mistress Yuyuko…please be able to forgive me…"

--

**STANDINGS:**

Hong Meiling 2-0

Sanae Kochiya 2-0

Hina Kagiyama 1-1

Rin Kaenbyou 1-1

Letty Whiterock 0-2

Aki Sisters 0-2


End file.
